Many WSDA members have reached out to the Association with questions on how to vote in the upcoming Washington Dental Service (WDS)/Delta Dental of Washington (DDWA) 2024 Annual Member Meeting.

Dr. Chris Pickel is an incumbent director and is running in an uncontested election. Drs. Elissa Maynard and Kim Trieu are both candidates for one open seat on the DDWA Board of Directors.

The WSDA Board of Directors convened a subgroup of the Board to determine what recommendation the Association would provide to members. To facilitate this decision, we asked all three candidates, Drs. Elissa Maynard, Chris Pickel, and Kim Trieu, to complete candidate questionnaires on topics of interest to many members. The completed, unedited questionnaires from each candidate are linked below.

Dr. Elissa Maynard Completed Questionnaire

Dr. Chris Pickel Completed Questionnaire

Dr. Kim Trieu Completed Questionnaire

WSDA Candidate Endorsements for the 2024 WDS/DDWA Annual Meeting

The WSDA Board of Directors has decided to endorse all three candidates on the two ballots. Drs. Maynard, Pickel, and Trieu have robust experience in both organized dentistry and DDWA leadership. All three candidates also strive to improve DDWA processes and decisions that result in better patient care. WSDA recommends that all DDWA member dentists review all candidate materials and vote as you see fit.

How Do Contested Elections Work?

WSDA has recently confirmed with DDWA leadership that this election will be using a plurality standard. Here’s how the contested ballot looks:

In this contested race, selecting “FOR” is a positive vote for a candidate and selecting "WITHHOLD" means that the voter is choosing not to participate in the election (in other words, it's a "non-vote"). Per the DDWA bylaws, contested elections use a plurality standard which means that whichever candidate gets the most "FOR" votes is elected to the position.

WSDA endorses Dr. Maynard and Dr. Trieu.

How Do Uncontested Elections Work?

WSDA has recently confirmed with DDWA leadership that this election will be using a majority standard. Here’s how the uncontested ballot looks:

In the uncontested race, selecting “FOR” is a positive vote for Dr. Pickel and selecting "WITHHOLD" is a negative vote for Dr. Pickel. Per the DDWA bylaws, uncontested elections use a majority standard which means that a candidate needs a majority of the votes cast in the election to be "FOR" in order to be re-elected. If the majority of votes cast in the election are “WITHHOLD” then Dr. Pickel will not be re-elected, and the process for filling a vacant position for a limited period of time will be conducted as outlined in the DDWA bylaws.

WSDA endorses Dr. Pickel.

Can My Assigned Proxy Change My Vote?

Member dentists who choose not to participate virtually in the annual meeting on November 8 can submit a proxy ballot assigned to another DDWA member dentist. You can select one of three listed members (including WSDA President Dr. Chris Dorow) or write in another member dentist.

WSDA has recently confirmed with DDWA leadership that the assigned proxy holders cannot change the votes of members who have voted on their proxy ballot. Only when a member dentist submits a proxy ballot without voting will an assigned proxy holder be able to vote on that member’s behalf.

Dr. Chris Dorow has not yet decided how he will vote in the contested election. If a member dentist does not vote and assigns their proxy to Dr. Chris Dorow, he will make his decision on the contested election on November 8. We encourage all members to vote in each election before submitting their proxies.

Does WSDA Always Endorse Candidates in DDWA Elections?

WSDA has provided input in member director elections for the DDWA Board over the last three years and will continue to do so going forward. The input varies each year; WSDA may endorse all candidates, some candidates, or no candidates. WSDA input is provided to help member dentists make informed decisions in these important elections and is routinely requested by members. WSDA will continue to look for candidates who align with solving issues our members face for quality patient care, transparency from 3rd party payers, workforce, and a patient's access to the full potential of their benefits regardless of provider they choose.

WSDA also wants to clarify that an endorsement in one election does not mean that WSDA will automatically endorse the same candidate for future elections. WSDA reserves the right to make its endorsement recommendations specifically for each election. Multiple factors, such as candidate questionnaire responses and general engagement with member dentists, will be factors used to determine WSDA endorsement decisions each year.

Speaking of Endorsements

WSDA has endorsed Senator Patty Kuderer to be the next Insurance Commissioner. A friendly reminder to vote in the upcoming general election; ballots must be postmarked by November 5 or returned to a ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on November 5.

Sincerely,

Dr. Chris Dorow
WSDA President