Politics & Government
2019 Washington General Election: Latest Ballot Updates
Following Tuesday's ballot drop, the campaign for Referendum 88 conceded defeat.
SEATTLE, WA — One week after Election Day, just 2,000 ballots remain uncounted in Pierce County, with 1,800 in King County, and 440 in Snohomish County. With the vast majority of Washington ballots now tallied, voters have a near-complete picture of the 2019 General Election, barring a few exceptions.
The one statewide ballot measure that was up in the air Friday appeared to be defeated after Tuesday night's results. Referendum 88, seeking to restore affirmative action in Washington, was rejected by 50.35% of voters statewide. Votes to approve trailed by about 13,000. Tuesday afternoon, the measure's supporters conceded defeat.
Campaign to approve R-88 has conceded defeat. "After a week of ballot counting it is clear that I-1000 will fall short of approval." (I-1000 and R-88 are the same thing.) #waleg #waelex pic.twitter.com/bV8I76V1k1
— Melissa Santos (@MelissaSantos1) November 13, 2019
In Seattle, City Council District 3 candidate Egan Orion conceded the race to incumbent Kshama Sawant. Sawant claimed victory Saturday after overcoming an 8-point election night deficit. In the latest count, Sawant led Orion by almost 4 points. The District 3 race saw some of the most political spending during a record year for Seattle elections.
Find out what's happening in Across Washingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Here's the emailed statement from his campaign. pic.twitter.com/XYdy70ilXD
— David Kroman (@KromanDavid) November 13, 2019
In Redmond, the City Council Position 1 race was still too close to call, with Varisha Khan leading Hank Myers by 47 votes — up from 19 votes Friday.
Up by 47 votes! pic.twitter.com/GSUsrEtpQS
— Varisha Khan (@VarishaMK) November 13, 2019
In Puyallup, Dean Johnson gained a slight edge over Heather Shadko in the at-large council race. The two candidates were separated by 71 votes Tuesday. In Sumner, the Council Position 7 race had Charla Rae Neuman leading Earle Suard by 11 votes — up from 9 votes Friday.
Find out what's happening in Across Washingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
According to state law, when candidates are less than half a percent apart and separated by less than 2,000 votes, a recount is mandatory. In races where candidates are separated by less than a quarter percent and less than 150 votes, a recount must be done by hand.
Updated ballot counts will be posted Wednesday. Election results must be certified by each county on November 26th. The Secretary of State will certify the final results by December 5th.
View full election results in King County
View full election results in Pierce County
View full election results in Snohomish County
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