In case you missed it, there’s an election coming up on November 3. And you probably got a pretty strong reminder: a ballot in your mailbox. If you’re registered to vote and your ballot still hasn’t arrived, you have a couple options:
- Request a replacement ballot online through My Voter Information.
- Visit the King County Elections Office in Renton or one of the Vote Centers.
- Have access to a printer? You can mark and print your replacement ballot online.
If you do have that ballot handy, then here’s your guide to help you make informed decisions when filling it out. And, as always, remember to vote early and use a drop box. Ballots are due on Election Day, November 3rd at 8:00 p.m.
City Cast Seattle Guide
The City Cast Seattle team has been covering the issues and candidates at play in this election for months now and we’ve gathered those episodes in one handy list:
Washington Ballot Initiatives
- Initiative 638: According to the Washington State Voters pamphlet this measure “would prohibit students it defines as ‘biologically male’ from competing in athletic activities intended for female students only.” This would prevent transgender girls from participating in K-12 girls sports. To enforce this, the resulting law would require all girls who want to join student athletics to have their “biological sex” verified via a genital examination, a genetic test or a hormone test. Birth certificates as sex certification are banned in this initiative.
- Though proponents say standard primary pediatric care already verifies sex, nearly 150,000 Washington girls do not have a regular family doctor. The current standards for sports physicals require only a fully clothed exam. Equivalent testing would not be required for boys to participate in student sports. This initiative would target an estimated 5-10 trans girl athletes, while impacting all girls across the Washington K-12 school system and is the most extreme proposal of its kind in the US.
- Initiative 001: This initiative is a bit complicated to explain because it repeals amendments to an existing law and re-enacts the law as it was originally written. Ok, so what would that mean? The proposal requires schools to provide parents and guardians access to all health care records for students, all textbooks, curriculums and supplemental material used in the classroom and, for some reason, removes the right of parents to receive immediate notice when a child is “alleged to be the victim, target or recipient of physical or sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, or assault by a shool employee or contractor.”
- Organizations like the WA Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault say this measure would require schools to hand over sensitive information to parents who are abusing their children. It would also force schools to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents or guardians without their consent and reduce the likelihood a student goes to the school for help.
Related episode: Executive Producer Ashley Smith spoke with Libby Watson of No Hate in WA State to discuss how these initiatives will impact all youth, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ students. Resident parent and producer Liam Billingham joins to ask questions about how these policies affect parental rights.
- Initiative 645: This measure would repeal the 9.9% tax on annual individual income over $1,000,000; prohibit taxes measured by individual income and taxes on individual income and change the definition of “income.” If enacted, it would decrease funding for K-12 education, universities and community colleges, childcare and early learning, and healthcare services. It would reduce funding to the state by an estimated $11.4 billion from 2027-2031. According to the Seattle Times, in 2029, its first year, the income tax is projected to bring in $2.7 billion, $3.7 billion in 2030, $3.2 billion in 2031 and $3.3 billion in 2032. So, repealing the income tax would give millionaires a $12.9 billion tax break.
Related episodes: First, Ashley breaks down the facts and fiction on the Millionaires Tax here. Then, former host Jane C. Hu talks with contributor Chase Hutchinson about the details on the Millionaires Tax and other efforts to raise funds for the state. Finally, we talked to Seattle’s one-and-only Rick Steves about why he supports the millionaires tax.
Who is Brian Heywood?
All three of these initiatives were written and funded by one conservative PAC: Let’s Go Washington. The man behind this PAC is millionaire and hedge fund manager Brian Heywood. Interim host Liam Billingham spoke with Pacific Northwest bureau chief at the New York Times Anna Griffin about her profile of Heywood as well as lawyer and School Board Member-At-Large Joe Mizrahi about the impact he sees these initiatives having in schools.
- Prop 1: Seattle Transit Measure: Producer Sam J. Leeds explained the measure that would provide funding for current and increased transit service. Proposition No. 1 increases sales tax in Seattle in order to maintain bus service and add 100,000 more bus service hours. This would include more frequent bus service on nights and weekends, and more free ORCA passes for low-income riders. This city-wide levy has been around since 2014. Previously, Seattle has renewed this levy every six years. But if this one is passed, it wouldn’t need to be renewed again for ten years. Read the full breakdown here.
City Council
- District 5 Nilu Jenks vs. Julie Kang: Seattleites living in District 5 are voting on a new city council member who will fill the seat vacated by Cathy Moore last year and temporarily filled by Debora Juarez. In the August primary, candidates Nilu Jenks and Julie Kang advanced to the general with 54% and 33% of the vote, respectively. Both candidates joined us on the show to talk through the top issues facing their district and the city council. Listen here.
State House of Representatives
- Legislative District 37: Kelabe Tewolde vs. Sharon Tomiko Santos, Jaelynn Scott vs. Evon McCorkle: City Cast Seattle’s interim host Liam Billingham sat down for an interview with Kelabe Tewolde and Jaelynn Scott about the top issues impacting their district. Sharon Tomiko Santos did not respond to our requests to join the show. Likewise, Jaelynn’s opponent Evon McCorkle hasn’t responded to media requests. Listen here.
State Senate
- Legislative District 43: Jamie Pedersen vs. Hannah Sabio-Howell: Liam spoke with Hannah Sabio-Howell (episode coming soon) about her approach this election in pushing established democrats further left by taking on candidates, like Pedersen, who were seen as immune to challenge. Incumbent Jamie Pedersen did not respond to requests to join the show.
Washington Supreme Court
- This election there are FIVE state Supreme Court seats up for grabs. As Nathalie Graham of The Stranger puts it “that many seats have never been up for grabs at once in the modern court, but a wave of retirements combined with regular term limits has made for one hell of a situation. … The court has nine positions. It needs a minimum of five justices to rule on an opinion. These elections have the potential to change the majority.” To put it simply, this election will have a huge impact on progressive revenue (i.e. taxing millionaires) and civil rights law in our state.
Related episode: So, how do you know who to vote for? Nathalie joined us on the podcast to talk us through the choices for Supreme Court Judges back during the primary. Nathalie gives a great guide on what to look for in a judge.
Local Media Endorsements
Check out the elections boards at:
- The Seattle Times
- The Stranger (plus their cheat sheet)
- The Urbanist
- The Progressive Voters Guide have all released their endorsements.
- You can also toy around with this new aggregator, Lefty Cheat Sheet (though, unlike the editorial boards at local publications, the names of the people behind it have not been made public).
