https://capitalpress.com/2026/03/17/whats-the-matter-with-washington/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQpVVVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETF2ZDVCcHhHM3I5em9jODFNc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqdQoEpjTsTWyR4K7Ss4aY8oUT6D7K--TSb_UIojapltbN0VJhhRvMFStQDK_aem_t_TATKfsyk2Lb0g_R81MrQ

By C. Michael Pickens, Pacific County Resident For centuries, the office of sheriff has occupied a unique and important place in American government. The sheriff is not simply another law-enforcement bureaucrat. In most states, including Washington, the sheriff is directly elected by the people of the county, making the office one of the few law-enforcement positions accountable directly to voters rather than political appointees. Washington’s Second Substitute Senate Bill 59