Kent School Board candidate maintains she lives in district despite challenge

Kent School Board candidate Trisha Sanders told King County Elections officials at a hearing on Wednesday morning that she does live in the district despite her opponent’s claims.

Kent School Board member Russ Hanscom, Sanders’ opponent for the District 1 seat, filed a voter registration challenge alleging Sanders did not live at the Kent address she used to file.

Sanders decided in July not to actively seek the board seat. Her name appears on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Sanders attended the hearing on Wednesday, which lasted less than 10 minutes. Neither Hanscom nor former Kent City Council candidate Bailey Stober, who submitted the voter registration challenge with Hanscom, were at the hearing.

Sanders presented several documents to show her residency, including an affidavit stating when she moved in, her driver’s license, voter registration card, copies of several utility bills at the address under her name and the certified letter sent to her address informing her of the hearing, which her husband signed for.

In the challenge, Hanscom said he made multiple attempts to contact Sanders at the address, including sending a certified letter and visiting the residence, to no avail. He said her Facebook account says she lives in Federal Way.

Sanders said she and her husband work alternating schedules so someone is usually home.

“Our house is rarely empty,” she said during the hearing. “I’m kind of amazed we missed them (Hanscom and Stober) four or five times.”

Elections director Sherril Huff said she would make a decision within 10 days of the hearing based on evidence presented by Sanders and documentation provided by Hanscom and Stober in the challenge they submitted.

If the challenge is upheld, Sanders’ voter registration will be cancelled. Since the challenge was received on Oct. 2, less than 45 days before the election, a decision will not affect the Nov. 3 election.