Sammamish Election Update: City Council Races

SAMMAMISH, WA — The third ballot drop since election night saw leads grow in a trio of close city council races, reflecting the addition of more than 3,000 ballots that were cast in the final hours of voting.

Friday's update accounted for 15,327 Sammamish ballots — roughly 39 percent of the city's registered voters. That turnout figure is a bit lower than the countywide average, which was just shy of 43.5 percent Friday.

Three City Council races remain close: The Position 1 matchup between Amy Lam and Josh Amato, and the Position 5 race between Kali Clark and Rich Benack, and the Position 7 contest between Melanie Kelsey and Karen Howe. The latter race remained closest Friday, with just 160 votes separating the two candidates.

Here are the Sammamish City Council results, as of Friday, Nov. 5:

Position 1

• Amy Lam: 50.54% (7,398 votes)
• Josh Amato: 49.3% (7,216 votes)

Position 3

• Karen Moran: 75.92% (10,964 votes)
• Nazir Harb Michel: 23.79% (3,435 votes)

Position 5

• Kali Clark: 51.74% (7,537 votes)
• Rich Benack: 48.12% (7,010 votes)

Position 7

• Karen Howe: 50.47% (7,313 votes)
• Melanie Kelsey: 49.37% (7,153 votes)

Friday's drop included 108,000 ballots across King County, and elections officials estimated 36,000 were left to tally countywide. Nov. 22 is the deadline to resolve signature challenges, and the results are due to be certified by Nov. 23. The next round of results will be posted by 4 p.m. Monday.