2019 Washington General Election Highlights

SEATTLE, WA — With the next ballot counts set to be released Tuesday afternoon, here is a look at where some of the top races stand in Washington. Friday saw two ballot drops in King County, but no updates were released Monday, due to the Veterans Day holiday. More than a dozen counties will update tallies Tuesday.

At last tabulation, 47.74% of registered King County voters participated in the General Election, with 39.04% of registered voters participating in Pierce County, and 42.43% in Snohomish County. Final turnout results will be posted after the election is certified.

BALLOT MEASURES (Statewide)

Referendum 88

Approved: 49.64%
Rejected: 50.36%

The effort to restore affirmative action in Washington briefly led after the first King County election update, then trailed again after other counties posted updates throughout the state. Friday, the margin was less than a percentage point - about 13,000 votes.

Initiative 976

Yes: 52.99%
No: 47.01%

Tim Eyman's ballot measure, seeking to slash most car tabs to $30 and strip cities of the authority to charge additional fees, was approved by voters statewide by a nearly six-point margin. In King County, more than 59 percent of voters rejected the measure, while nearly 66 percent of Pierce County voters approved. King County and Seattle intend to file a joint lawsuit this week, seeking an injunction to temporarily block the law from going into effect.

BALLOT MEASURES (County/City)

King County Local Proposition 1

Yes: 80.76%
No: 19.24%

A clear majority of voters were approving a replacement to the expiring Medic One levy, which would fund county-wide medical services for six years.

City of Shoreline Proposition 1

Yes: 53.94%
No: 46.06%

Shoreline Prop. 1 would fund the construction of a new aquatic and community center, replacing the 50-year-old Shoreline Pool and the Spartan Recreation Center. Annual property tax rates for a median-valued home were projected to increase by $244 annually.

Renton School District No. 403

Approved: 70.01%
Rejected: 29.99%

A bond measure to fund the construction of a new elementary school and make district-wide improvements had more than 10 percentage points above the 60 needed for supermajority approval.

Gig Harbor Proposition 1

Yes: 56.9%
No: 43.1%

Prop. 1 seeks to raise Gig Harbor's sales tax to 8.7 percent to fund several traffic projects in the city. The tax will expire in 10 years unless renewed by voters. The measure led by almost 14 points Friday.

Puyallup School District No. 3 Proposition 1

Yes: 53.08%
No: 46.92%

With Prop. 1 falling several points short of the 60 percent needed, the Puyallup School District acknowledged in a statement on election night that the bond was unlikely to pass. "I am confident that the school board will evaluate the growing pressures around safety, security, and growth and decide the next steps while working closely with members of our community to come to an acceptable set of solutions," the statement said in part.

NOTABLE CITY COUNCIL RACES

SEATTLE

Despite record PAC spending to influence the race for seven Seattle City Council positions, just one chamber-backed candidate appears to have prevailed. District 3 incumbent Kshama Sawant overcame an 8-point election night differential to lead her opponent, Egan Orion, by 3.5 points Friday night. That race saw hundreds of thousands in outside spending, including big money dropped into a Chamber-backed political action committee by Amazon. Sawant claimed victory at a rally Saturday, pledging to pursue new taxes on big businesses.

PUYALLUP

Heather Shadko: 49.49%
Dean Johnson: 50.1%

The race for Puyallup's at-large City Council position was separated by just 62 votes Friday.

SUMNER

Charla Rae Neuman: 49.93%
Earle Stuard: 49.52%

In Sumner, the candidates for City Council Position 7 were separated by just 9 votes.

REDMOND

Hank Myers: 49.8%
Varisha M. Khan: 49.94%

The candidates for Redmond City Council's Position 1 were separated by 19 votes.

MAYORAL RACES

Redmond

Angela Birney: 60.07%
Steve Fields: 39.52%

Renton

Marcie Maxwell: 46.56%
Armondo Pavone: 53.05%

The next ballot drops are scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday. Election officials estimated 6,300 ballots were left to count in King County, with 4,000 in Pierce County, and just 500 in Snohomish County. Election results must be certified by each county on November 26th. The Secretary of State certifies the final results by December 5th.