What to know about Seattle's Aug. 1 primary election
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Ballots have arrived in mailboxes for the Aug. 1 primary election, which will whittle down a field of more than 40 Seattle City Council hopefuls to 14.
Why it matters: The primary decides which candidates will go head-to-head this November, making it key to shaping the future of city government.
Details: Four of the seven Seattle City Council seats on the ballot — in council Districts 1, 3, 4 and 5 — have no incumbents running. That means no matter how they turn out, they'll result in four new people sitting on the nine-member council next year.
- In the most packed race, 10 people are competing to replace outgoing City Council President Debora Juarez in District 5, which includes Lake City and Northgate.
- The other two most crowded races — to replace outgoing council members Kshama Sawant in Central Seattle's District 3 and Lisa Herbold in West Seattle's District 1 — each will have eight candidates on the ballot. Each district also has a candidate waging a write-in campaign.
Yes, but: The three incumbents up for re-election also face serious competition, political consultant Dean Nielsen recently told Axios.
- As of Monday, Tanya Woo, who is challenging Councilmember Tammy Morales in District 2, and Pete Hanning, who is challenging Councilmember Dan Strauss in District 6, had slightly outraised the incumbents.
Be smart: If you're registered to vote, you should have received a ballot in the mail by now. If you didn't get one, call King County Elections at 206-296-8683 to ask for a replacement.
- If you still need to register to vote or update your registered address, you can do so online at votewa.gov or by mail through July 24.
- Up to and including Election Day, you can register or make address changes in person at a county election center or at the King County Elections headquarters in Renton.
What's next: You can return your ballot by mail as long as it is postmarked by Tuesday, Aug. 1. No stamp is required.
- Or, you can place it in an official ballot drop box until 8pm on Election Day — here's a map of ballot drop box locations.
What we're watching: King County Elections officials are projecting turnout of 35% for the Aug. 1 primary, which is about what they saw in 2019 and 2021.