Candidates for membership on an educational service district board shall file declarations of candidacy with the Washington state school directors' association on forms prepared by the association. Declarations of candidacy may be filed ((by person or by mail not))no earlier than the first day of September, nor later than the 16th day of September. The association may not accept any declaration of candidacy that is not ((on file in its office or is not postmarked))received before the 17th day of September.

Each member of an educational service district board shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast at the election for all candidates for the position. All votes shall be cast ((by mail addressed to))on forms developed by the Washington state school directors' association and no votes shall be accepted for counting if ((postmarked))received after the 16th day of October ((or if not postmarked or the postmark is not legible, if received by mail after the 21st day of October following the call of the election)). The executive director of the Washington state school directors' association and an election board comprised of three persons appointed by the association shall count and tally the votes not later than the 25th day of October in the following manner: Each vote cast by a school director shall be accorded as one vote. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, then, not later than the first day of November, the executive director of the Washington state school directors' association shall call a second election to be conducted in the same manner and at which the candidates shall be the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes cast. No vote cast at such second election shall be received for counting ((if postmarked)) after the 16th day of November ((or if not postmarked or the postmark is not legible, if received by mail after the 21st day of November)) and the votes shall be counted as hereinabove provided on the 25th day of November. The candidate receiving a majority of votes at any such second election shall be declared elected. In the event of a tie in such second election, the candidate elected shall be determined by a chance drawing of a nature established by the executive director of the Washington state school directors' association. Within 10 days following the count of votes in an election at which a member of an educational service district board is elected, the executive director of the Washington state school directors' association shall certify to the county auditor of the headquarters county of the educational service district the name or names of the persons elected to be members of the educational service district board.