Need help choosing candidates?

Many progressive groups have made endorsements already for this election:

• Initiatives I-001 (removes common sense protections for child abuse victims), I-638 (requires invasive exams for any girl who wants to play sports) and I-645 (repeals the millionaires tax): Progressive groups, and even the moderate Seattle Times, recommend voting against all three measures. 

• Five seats on the state Supreme Court are up this fall. King County Democrats, Seattle Indivisible and FuseWA are among the many progressive groups that have endorsed this slate: Justice Colleen Melody, Judge Jaime Hawk, Judge Ian Birk, Justice Theo Angelis and Chief Justice Debra Stephens.

• King County Democrats also have other endorsements listed on this page. 

• Endorsements from The Seattle Times and The Stranger. (TL;DR: Both The Stranger and The Seattle Times say to vote against all three initiatives. The Stranger's slate of Supreme Court candidates matches the list above. The Seattle Times offers exception to the progressive slate, a vote for Sean O'Donnell in position 4 over Ian Birk. Read that endorsement here.)

Frequently Asked Questions

We posed the following questions to the Washington Secretary of State's office:

What happens if the election outcomes are disputed?

It depends on what you mean by this. There's a difference between, say, a candidate who refuses to concede (which would not impact certification of election results) and a court challenge (for which the potential effect would depend highly on the nature of that challenge). All that said, our office will continue to support the voters and election administrators across our state to make sure all eligible voters have the opportunity to participate in our elections.

What happens if USPS tosses ballots (per the recent news from the whistleblower)?

As the proposed USPS rule makes its way through court challenges, it remains to be seen what the effects will be (if any). What we do know is that changes to mail processing has been shown to delay some mail in some places. As such, our current approach is to spread the message far and wide to use a drop box if at all possible (as opposed to returning via USPS) and to print your ballot at home if you're concerned your ballot hasn't arrived yet. Again, this is all hypothetical until we see final court rulings (which may not come until after the general election, so this guidance may change as additional details emerge.

Is there a place to learn more so we can pass that information along to our community members, especially those concerned about ensuring their vote is counted?

The Washington Elections website will continue to issue quality information as soon as it's available (sos.wa.gov/elections), and you can also check the news section of the Secretary of State website for more breaking news (sos.wa.gov/about-office/news).

Are we allowed to hold events near ballot boxes to encourage voting?  Is this something we should check with at the county election level (as well as Parks)?

The limitations in RCW about activities close to ballot boxes and voting centers are specific to electioneering, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can or should post up within close proximity of a box, especially if it could be considered as interfering "with the freedom of voters to exercise their franchise or disrupts the administration of the voting center" (https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=29A.84.510). If you're at all concerned about the legality of your plans, we recommend consulting an attorney first.

What kind of help are we legally available to offer to family and close friends regarding ballot drop off to official ballot boxes?  

You are welcome to assist others in depositing their ballot. That said, our official guidance to folks in need of that kind of assistance is to only do so with those you already know and trust, so just remember to be respectful if people say no. There may be those who prefer to return their ballot by USPS or get to a drop box on their own.

Can you confirm that paper ballots can be printed (if absolutely necessary) at home or in a public library?

Yes, you can print your ballot from votewa.gov at your convenience within the voting period.