Tuesday's election includes scores of local contests across the state, including city council and mayoral races, judicial races and two legislative seats where recent appointees faces challengers as they seek election to a full term. But the main items are two of the statewide ballot measures.
Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman hoped voter turnout would reach the 40 percentile range, but as of Wednesday afternoon voter turnout was around 37%.
Election results are certified by each county on November 26, 2019. The Secretary of State certifies final results by December 05, 2019.
Referendum 88
New numbers show voters in favor of rejecting Referendum 88, which would repeal a ban on affirmative action in Washington.
On Friday, 51% of voters seemed in favor of rejecting the measure.
Referendum 88 asks voters whether they want to approve or reject Initiative 1000, which was passed by the Legislature in April. I-1000 amends current statutes to allow one's minority status to be considered as a contributing factor in state employment, contracting and admission to public colleges in universities.
Initiative 976
An initiative to slash car-tab fees passed with 55.07% of the vote as of Wednesday afternoon.
Initiative 976 will lower most taxes paid through annual vehicle registration to $30 and largely revoke the authority of state and local governments to add taxes and fees without voter approval.
The measure will also repeal taxes and fees already in place, potentially costing the state and local governments more than $4 billion in revenue over the next six years, according the state Office of Financial Management.
Council races
A number of city and council positions are also up for grabs, including four on the King County Council, seven on Seattle City Council, and four on Tacoma City Council.
King County Council
Four King County Council positions are up for grabs during the 2019 General Elections.
Incumbent Larry Gossett trails challenger Girmay Zahilay to represent District 2 after King County released a fourth round of election returns Friday afternoon. Zahilay captured 60% of the vote.
In the District 4 race, incumbent Jeanne Kohl-Welles leads challenger Abigail Doerr with 74% of the vote.
In the District 6 race, Council Vice Chair Claudia Balducci leads challenger Bill Hirt with 79% of the vote.
In the District 8 race, incumbent Joe McDermott leads challenger Michael Robert Neher with 84% of the vote.
Seattle City Council
The race is on for seven Seattle City Council seats which could result in a major shakeup.
Incumbent Lisa Herbold, in her first term, held a slim lead over public defender Phil Tavel for the District 1 position after King County released initial election returns Tuesday evening. Herbold held 55.63% of the vote Friday afternoon.
In the open District 2 race, Tammy Morales, a community organizer, leads Mark Solomon, who works in crime prevention with Seattle Police, with 60.32% of the vote.
Incumbent Kshama Sawant, who has served since 2014, faces off against Egan Orion, an event organizer and small business advocate for the District 3 position. Initially, Sawant was trailing Orion. As of Friday, she has taken the lead with 51.57% of the vote.
Shaun Scott, a community activist, and Alex Pedersen, the former legislative aide to former Councilmember Tim Burgess, vie for the open seat to represent District 4. Pedersen leads Scott with 52.34% of the vote.
In District 5, Attorney Ann Davison Sattler trails incumbent Debora Juarez, who was elected in 2015. Juarez has captured 60.53% of the vote so far.
Heidi Wills, former executive director of The First Tee of Greater Seattle, and Dan Strauss, senior policy advisor to Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, vie to represent District 6. Wills conceded to Strauss on Friday, making him the winner.
Deputy City Attorney Andrew Lewis, squares off against former Interim Seattle Police Chief Jim Pugel for the District 7 position. Pugel held a slim lead over Lewis, capturing 59.83% of the vote as of Wednesday.
As of Friday, Lewis leads Pugel with 52.79% of the vote.
Tacoma City Council
Half of the seats on Tacoma's city council are up for grabs, two of which are district-specific seats and two of which are at-large positions.
In Position 1, teacher John Hines leads labor organizer Nathe Lawver with 53.37% of the vote after early election returns. Position 1 is an open district-specific seat covering the North End and West End neighborhoods.
In Position 3, Councilmember Keith Blocker holds a 63.22% lead over challenger David Combs, who runs an organization that provides internships to young people. Position 3 is a district-specific seat covering the Fircrest, Central Tacoma, and Hilltop neighborhoods.
In at-large Position 7, Councilmember Conor McCarthy holds a commanding 70.33% lead over challenger Courtney Love, a precinct committee officer.
In at-large Position 8, Kristina Walker, executive director of Downtown On the Go, leads John O'Loughlin, a utility executive and environmental engineer, with 58.18% of the vote.
Snohomish County Sheriff
Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary conceded his re-election bid Tuesday night before initial election results were even released.
Trenary was challenged by Sergeant Adam Fortney.
After early results were released Wednesday evening, Fortney led Trenary with 58.87% of the vote.