If you ever need proof that filing for office in Washington State is more convenient than ever, just look at one example in Grays Harbor County.

Jeremiah Marsh is completing his two-year term as a Fire District 11 commissioner there. But he also is serving in Iraq as a National Guard member. So filing for office wasn’t doable, right? Wrong. Despite being stationed thousands of miles away from the county courthouse in Montesano, Marsh was able to file for re-election before the June 5 filing deadline.

So how did he do it? By calls and e-mails to the Grays Harbor County Auditor’s Office, and by faxing his filing paperwork to County Auditor Vern Spatz.

Marsh, a Grayland resident, is expected to return from Iraq in late July or early August. Marsh faces two opponents in the August 18 primary – Russ McClintick and Ginger Gamblin.