Elections in the 34th Legislative District will be easy this year because the three incumbents have drawn no opposition this year.

Recently appointed State Sen. Joe McDermott will get the remaining two years of the office's four-year term and Sharon K. Nelson of Vashon Island will remain in office for the next two year. In addition, long-time Rep. Eileen L. Cody also will get two more years in office.

The district covers West Seattle, Vashon Island and Burien.

Candidates filed using the Internet, in-person filing or submitting the paperwork by mail.

It's a simple, time-honored ritual of signing a declaration of candidacy and paying a filing fee equal to 1 percent of one year's salary for the office sought. Most candidates have been running for weeks or months and have filed campaign finance reports with the Public Disclosure Commission. Filing with the secretary of state or local auditor, though, is required to actually get on the ballot.

"This marks the official opening of Washington state's election season - and 2008 promises to be a watershed election year, from the White House and the governor's mansion right down to the local offices that are so important in our daily lives," said Secretary of State Sam Reed, the state's chief elections officer. "We're already seeing Washington citizens really engaging in the choices and we expect a terrific voter turnout.

"I encourage local leaders to step forward and stand for election. The stakes have never been higher for our communities, our state and our country. We're also encouraging citizens to register to vote, study the issues and the campaigns, and maybe even get involved in grassroots politics themselves."

For the first time since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the voter-approved "People's Choice" top-two primary, the filing will allow candidates to self-describe their political preference, but that won't imply that the person is nominated by or supported by the party.

In the primary, voters will be able to choose their favorite for each office without regard to party, and the top two vote-getters will advance to the general election. As approved by the voters in 2004 and recently upheld 7-2 by the high court, the primary will be a winnowing election to narrow the field for the November general election, and not a nominating election. Parties may hold their own nominating conventions to pick a favorite for each office. That information won't go on the ballot for the state-run primary or general elections, but candidates and their parties are free to use the designation in campaign materials.

Filing Week is June 2-6, although candidates also have the option of filing by mail beginning Friday, May 16. Candidates for Congress, statewide office such as governor, and legislative and judicial districts that cross county lines must file with the Secretary of State. Candidates for legislative and judicial seats wholly within one county may file with the Secretary of State or the County Auditor.

An increasingly popular way to file with the Secretary of State is online at www.secstate.wa.gov. Filings will be accepted after 9 a.m. on Monday, June 2, until 4 p.m. on Friday, June 6. The secure filings may be submitted at any hour of the day or night this way.

Filing fees for offices with annual salaries of $1,000 or more are 1 percent. For instance, it costs $1,652 to file for the U.S. House, $1636.18 to run for governor, and $418.80 to run for the Legislature. Indigent candidates may submit voter signatures at a rate of one per each dollar of the filing fee.

The filing period is about a month earlier than it has been in the past, following the Legislature's decision to accept a plan by Reed and county auditors to move the primary forward about a month in order to allow more time between the primary and general elections. That will give county auditors more time to deal with any recounts and to have adequate turnaround time to prepare general election ballots, including military and overseas ballots that must go out early.

The primary is Aug. 19. All but Pierce and King counties are voting entirely by mail and ballots must be postmarked by Aug. 19. The general election is Nov. 4.

Jack Mayne may be reached at jmayne@robinsonnews.com. Dave Ammons of the Washington Secretary of State's office contributed to this report and can be reached at dammons@secstate.wa.gov.