NEWS GLEAMS | Record-Low Turnout in Recent Washington State Elections; Vacant Building Fire in Columbia City

A roundup of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Final Election Votes Certified

King County Elections certified the results from the November 2023 elections yesterday, Nov. 28. The results for the Seattle City Council show a move away from the previously more progressive council. As Real Change reported, "In the four open City Council seats, candidates who received independent expenditures from pro-business groups prevailed in all four races, however with vastly different margins." In the incumbent races, Councilmembers Tammy Morales in District 2 and Dan Strauss in District 6 won their races by close margins, with Morales coming ahead with just over 1.5% of the vote and Strauss winning by more than 5%. Incumbent Councilmember Andrew Lewis in District 7 lost to his conservative challenger Bob Kettle by a margin of about 2%.

In the case of King County Council, incumbent candidates Girmay Zahilay from District 2 and Claudia Balducci from District 6 ran opposed. Previous Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda was also elected to King County Council District 8.

The full results for both council races, as well as Seattle's housing levy, are as follows:

Seattle City Council

Seattle District 1

• Rob Saka: 18,382, 54.15%
• Maren Costa: 15,431, 45.46%
• Write-in: 132, 0.39%

Seattle District 2

• Tammy J. Morales: 13,123, 50.65%
• Tanya Woo: 12,720, 49.10%
• Write-in: 64, 0.25%

Seattle District 3

• Joy Hollingsworth: 17,805, 52.94%
• Alex Hudson: 15,709, 46.71%
• Write-in: 119, 0.35%

Seattle District 4

• Maritza Rivera: 14,221, 50.25%
• Ron Davis: 13,986, 49.42%
• Write-in: 92, 0.33%

Seattle District 5

• Cathy Moore: 19,334, 64.11%
• ChrisTiana ObeySumner: 10,729, 35.58%
• Write-in 93, 0.31%

Seattle District 6

• Dan Strauss: 20,601, 52.31%
• Pete Hanning: 18,586, 47.19%
• Write-in: 199, 0.51%

Seattle District 7

• Bob Kettle: 11,951, 50.78%
• Andrew J. Lewis, 11,512, 48.91%
• Write-in: 74, 0.31%

City of Seattle

Seattle Housing Levy

• Yes: 69.2%
• No: 30.8%

King County Council

District 2

• Girmay Zahilay: 49,156, 98.6%
• Write-in: 686, 1.4%

District 4

• Jorge L. Baron: 44,597, 60%
• Sarah Reynevald: 29,450, 39.6%
• Write-in: 311, 0.4%

District 6

• Claudia Balducci: 35,276, 97.9%
• Write-in: 765, 2.1%

District 8

• Teresa Mosqueda: 33,921, 55.0%
• Sofia Aragon: 27,553, 44.7%
• Write-in: 194, 0.3%

Record-Low Voter Turnout in Recent Washington State Elections

Washington State experienced record-low voter turnout during this year's November elections. At less than 37%, the turnout was about one-third of the population of registered voters.

The Seattle Times reported that this was the lowest recorded turnout since voter registration counts first began in 1936. "That continues a trend for odd-year elections observed since 2015, when voter turnout first fell below 40%," they wrote, noting that Washington State law requires that city and local district elections are held during odd-numbered years.

Of those voters, 50% reside in King, Snohomish, and Pierce County, with King County being home to 30% of state voters. King County's turnout dropped by more than 40 percentage points compared with 2022.

In 2022, the ongoing decrease in voter turnout has led the King County Council to propose a Charter Amendment to move city and county elections from odd years to even years. Jay Lee, a research associate at Sightline, commented last year that such a change would be the most beneficial step one can take to increase voter turnout. The amendment passed with 69% of those in favor.

"With this change, people elected to office starting in 2023 or 2025 will serve a three-year term (2023-2026 or 2025-2028) in order to move to an even-numbered year schedule," explained a press release from King County Council. "Subsequent terms, starting in 2026 and 2028, would again be four-year terms."

However, these changes have not yet been made across the state. Earlier this year, Senate Bill 5723 would have allowed cities and towns statewide the freedom to change their general elections to even-numbered years. Though it received a public hearing and was voted out of its initial committee, it never reached the floor for a vote. One of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Javier Valdez of Seattle, hopes to revive it again this upcoming legislative year, and Rep. Darya Farivar of Seattle plans to introduce a companion bill in the House.

Vacant Building Fire in Columbia City Injures One Firefighter

On Nov. 28, around 6:28 p.m., the Seattle Fire Department received a report about smoke coming from a vacant commercial building in Columbia City at 4200 Rainier Ave. S. Firefighters approaching the scene reported flames shooting through the roof and thus called for the fire to be elevated to a 2-alarm fire. A total of over 80 firefighters were then dispatched to the scene, along with 11 fire trucks and five ladder trucks.

Heavy smoke and high heat prompted what the City described as a "defensive strategy where firefighters poured water on the fire at a safe distance away from the building." However, the roof and portions of the front side of the building collapsed around 7:45 p.m. One firefighter was injured and was transported to the hospital; he is in stable condition.

Around 9:11 p.m., the fire was considered under control, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation. It follows a series of unsolved building fires that took place along Rainier Avenue South, including the destruction of the vacant Borracchini's Bakery shop in May 2022.

📸 Featured Image: An election worker closes the ballot box near Uwajimaya in the Chinatown-International District during the primary elections in 2022. (Photo: Jaidev Vella)

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