County

Skagit County Coroner

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The coroner investigates sudden, unexpected and violent deaths and determines their cause.

Candidates Compare by issue

Alex Lathum

Prefers Democratic Party

Lead microbiologist, Washington Public Health Laboratory

The gist

Pledges to respond in person to death scenes
Proposes publishing Skagit County death statistics
Pledges clear explanations of investigations to families
Pledges independent investigations in cooperation with partner agencies

More about Alex

View sources (1)

Pledges to respond in person to death scenes
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“I will be a coroner who actively responds to death scenes and participates fully in investigations.”
Proposes publishing Skagit County death statistics
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“I will actively track and analyze Skagit County death statistics, making this data available to the public to help inform community safety decisions.”
Pledges clear explanations of investigations to families
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“I will work with relatives to clearly explain the process and timeline of a death investigation and do everything possible to help families.”
Pledges independent investigations in cooperation with partner agencies
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“independent, compassionate, and professional medicolegal death investigations, while cooperating fully with all investigative partners”

Derrill Fussell

Prefers Republican Party

Former technology company CEO; children's book author · Mount Vernon

The gist

Pledges to seek full staffing for the coroner's office
Proposes publishing open data on overdose and fentanyl deaths
Pledges to claim every state autopsy reimbursement dollar
Pledges to keep the office's IACME accreditation
Proposes publishing investigation turnaround times

More about Derrill

View sources (2)

Pledges to seek full staffing for the coroner's office
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“Our Coroner’s department is understaffed; I will lobby for the full staffing this vital work demands.”
Proposes publishing open data on overdose and fentanyl deaths
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“publish open data on overdose and fentanyl deaths”
Pledges to claim every state autopsy reimbursement dollar
Where I Stand
Provided by the campaign · Fussell for Skagit County Coroner · fussellforcoroner.com
“I will claim every reimbursement dollar the county is entitled to”
Pledges to keep the office's IACME accreditation
Where I Stand
Provided by the campaign · Fussell for Skagit County Coroner · fussellforcoroner.com
“I will treat IACME standards as the operating baseline”
Proposes publishing investigation turnaround times
Where I Stand
Provided by the campaign · Fussell for Skagit County Coroner · fussellforcoroner.com
“Turnaround time as a published metric.”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 3 issues covered in this race.