The Okanogan County Canvassing Board dismissed a challenge by two citizens who questioned the voter registration address of County Commissioner District 1 candidate Nick Timm.
On Sept. 12, the Canvassing Board heard petitions from Michael Heath, who challenged Timm in the primary, and Naomi Peasley, who is engaged to Heath.
Heath and Peasley contended the address Timm listed on his voter registration as his domicile is in a commercial building and not permitted for habitation. The couple alleged Timm used this address in District 1 instead of another address in District 2, long known to be his home, so he could run for commissioner in District 1, a seat currently held by retiring County Commissioner Chris Branch. Candidates must reside in the district they are running in.
Timm, a property investor, faces Marc Doney, a general contractor and pastor of River of Life Church in Omak, in the general election on Nov. 5.
In their presentation to the Canvassing Board Sept. 12, Heath and Peasley claimed Timm resides at 11A Wood Hill Road. That address straddles between District 2 and 3 but is in District 2.
In an email to MVE, Timm said that residence belonged to his father, who has passed. Timm said he maintains an office there and has two renters.
“There’s been some confusion as to where I live because we do reside in a commercial-residential building in downtown Okanogan – Firmly within District #1,” Timm wrote. “In one of our buildings there’s an apartment a previous tenant built that we moved into earlier this year. I had the opportunity to walk a majority of the OCRP [Okanogan County Republican Party] through my home and show them where I live and satisfied their curiosity. Luckily, my residency wasn’t the only one that has been looked at. It’s a fairly common thing, at least in this race, for this to come up and to my knowledge all three candidates for District 1 were checked out to ensure we meet the requirements to hold office in District 1.”
In her address to the Canvassing Board, Peasley claimed Timm posted pictures on social media of a rural property that did not match his stated residential address, which is in downtown Okanogan. The Canvasing Board noted that the pictures did not state an address and three of the posts did not have a year.
Peasley said the address Timm claimed on his voter registration was not listed under his name on the assessor’s website. Heath claimed he could not find the address, but a search on Mapquest easily found it.
Okanogan County Elections Manager Jamie Groomes testified under oath that Timm is registered to vote at 678 S. 2nd Ave. S. in Okanogan, that he has been registered to vote there since July 29, 2024 and that an address of 11A Wood Hill Road is in his voter record.
Timm’s registered address is a 3 minute drive from his previous address.
Timm, an Air Force veteran, submitted a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs addressed to the address on his voter registration, as well as a copy of his driver license which also matched the address on his voter registration. He also submitted 22 pictures of his apartment’s interior and his building’s exterior.
Okanogan County Republican Party members Kit Arbuckle and Verlene Hughes testified that they had both walked through Timm’s apartment at 678 S. 2nd Ave. S., known as the Crowder Building.
Timm contended that he resides in an untraditional address allowed under RCW 29A.08.112. He testified that the apartment was there when he purchased the building, that he made improvements to the residence that did not require a permit, that he is working with the city to permit the property for residential use and that the city is aware that new residences are being built in the Crowder building to expand housing options.
“My wife and I are both Air Force vets who are used to moving more than the average person,” said Timm. “We generally purchase a place, move in or close to that place, get it fixed up and then rent it out on the market for an affordable rate to help the area grow. There are so many wonderful old buildings in the area and great people who deserve reasonably priced housing and commercial spaces.”
The Canvassing Board ruled that Peasley and Heath did not have “clear, cogent and convincing” proof that Timm did not reside in the Crowder Building.
The board further stated that their decision related solely to the validity of Timm’s voter registration address, not his eligibility to run for office, which is not within their purview.
“The fact that Nick Timm residing at this address may be a code violation or that he may be living in a commercially zoned building instead of a residentially zoned building is irrelevant to our consideration. This state’s election laws recognize that a person cannot be disqualified to vote because he or she “lacks a traditional residential address.” RCW 29A.08.112.
The ruling continued, “For purposes of voter registration, an unmarked home qualifies as a non-traditional address.” RCW 29A.08.112(2)
Peasley filed another challenge to Timm’s voter registration on Sept. 23. That challenge was dismissed by Okanogan County Auditor Cari Hall on Sept. 27.