Kshama Sawant Trails In Election Night Recall Results

SEATTLE — The polls are closed for an unusual December election in Seattle, where District 3 voters decided the fate of a recall effort against Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Election night results accounted for about 32,000 ballots from the district's more than 77,000 voters and showed affirmative votes for the recall leading by roughly 2,000 votes.

Here are the election night results for the Kshama Sawant recall:

Recall Yes: 53.1% (17,048 votes)

Recall No: 46.9% (15,055 votes)

Sawant, a member of the Socialist Alternative party, quickly gained national prominence in 2013 after successfully leading an effort for Seattle to adopt the nation's first $15 minimum wage. As one of the council's most outspoken members, she has led efforts to increase taxes on big corporations, expand tenants' rights and has frequently sparred with her colleagues in favor of cutting the police department's budget.

The council member secured a third term in 2019, overcoming a double-digit election night deficit to defeat challenger Egan Orion by about four points.

The organizers behind the Recall Sawant petition accuse her of improperly using city resources to promote her Tax Amazon campaign, disregarding COVID-19 protocols by allowing protesters into City Hall in June 2020, and "leading" a protest near Mayor Jenny Durkan's home, which has a protected address due to Durkan's former role as a U.S. Attorney. As The Stranger notes, the march was organized by the Seattle branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, and Sawant denies knowing the address, planning the event, or leading the march.

Sawant supporters argue that the recall effort is backed by conservatives and accuse the campaign of intentionally holding onto its signatures long enough to miss deadlines for the November ballot, angling for lower turnout during a separate election — something the campaign denies. Nestled between two major holidays, recall ballots were mailed to District 3 voters just two weeks after polls closed for the general election.

King County Elections projected 50 percent voter participation for the special election. By Tuesday afternoon, turnout was just over 42 percent. Sawant won her third term during a presidential election, where countywide voter turnout soared to 87 percent.

As The Stranger reported Monday, wealthier neighborhoods continued to outpace Sawant's in the lead-up to Election Day, but ballot returns were distributed more evenly among older and younger voters than in the general election.

The election night results included ballots from about 41 percent of registered voters, but tallies will change over the next few days until all last-minute ballots are accounted for and the special election is certified on Dec. 17. Later ballots tend to skew toward progressive candidates. The next round of results is due by 4 p.m. Wednesday.

If the recall succeeds, the remaining council members will select a replacement to serve until another special election in 2022. The seat will be in play again for its regular election in 2023.