Primary Election Ballots Due Tuesday

by Emerald Staff

King County Elections has already received more than 30,000 ballots, but there are still five more days to vote before the results are tallied on Aug. 6. The results will determine which candidates move forward into the general election, most notably in the packed races for Seattle City Council seats representing seven geographic districts around the city.

In District 2, seven candidates have entered the race to represent Southeast Seattle: Henry Dennison, Ari Hoffman, Tammy Morales, Christopher Peguero, Phyllis Porter, Mark Solomon, and Omari Tahir-Garrett. Incumbent Bruce Harrell announced he would not run for re-election earlier this year, saying, "three terms is sufficient in this role at this time." Harrell ran against Morales in 2015, winning his re-election then by just 344 votes.

In addition to the Seattle City Council races, voters will also weigh in on a King County Council District 2 race between incumbent Larry Gossett, Girmay Zahilay, and Stan Lippmann. Gossett has held this seat since he was first elected in 1993, and has long run unopposed until this year. King County Council District 2 encompasses Southeast Seattle, the Central District, and Skyway. Skyway is unincorporated, making this seat the only local representative representing this community.

To learn more about the candidates for the Seattle City Council and the King County Council, see the Emerald's coverage below, including Q&A interviews with the six of the city council candidates (Dennison did not return calls and emails requesting an interview):

• County Council incumbent Gossett and challenger Zahilay face off in Skyway debate
• D2 Candidates Talk Transportation, Housing, and Sustainability City Council Heats Up
• District 2 Candidates Fundraising in Crowded Race for City Council
• Meet the District 2 Candidates: Ari Hoffman
• Meet the District 2 Candidates: Tammy Morales
• Meet the District 2 Candidates: Christopher Peguero
• Meet the District 2 Candidates: Phyllis Porter
• Meet the District 2 Candidates: Mark Solomon
• Meet the District 2 Candidates: Omari Tahir-Garrett

Ballots can be returned through the U.S. Postal Service or at King County ballot drop boxes across the region. South End and Central District drop boxes can be found at the following locations:

• Beacon Hill Library — 2821 Beacon Ave. S.
• Skyway Library — 12601 76th Ave. S.
• Garfield Community Center — 2323 E. Cherry St.
• Uwajimaya — 619 6th Ave. S.
• Rainier Community Center — 4600 38th Ave. S.
• Rainier Beach Community Center — 8825 Rainier Ave. S.
• South Park Library — 8604 8th Ave. S.

📸 Featured Image: Ballot drop box outside of the Rainier Beach Community Center on Rainier Avenue South. (Photo: Aaron Burkhalter)