The way we govern ourselves is sure to change. It seems inevitable that Silverdale, some day, if not in February, will become a city. The current form of county government, with a three-member Board of Commissioners that serves as both executive and legislative branches, may be a thing of the past, replaced by a larger county council and an independently elected county executive, perhaps. Voters will be asked next November if they want to elect a board of freeholders to study county governance. Bigger changes may come in the way we vote.
Electronic voting seems inevitable.
In February, Thurston County will become the first county in the nation to test Internet voting. Unofficial, on-line voting will take place in the presidential preference primary. Voters may be making many of the decisions historically made by elected officials. The passage of Initiative 695, which requires all future vote and fee increases be put to a vote of the people, may be a harbinger, said Hiemstra, the Kirkland futurist. How we get information will change as well.