A Seattle voter's guide to the Aug. 6 primary election
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
It's time to vote in Washington's Aug. 6 primary election, which will pare down crowded races for Congress, governor, attorney general, the state Legislature and some local offices.
Why it matters: The results of the top-two primary will decide which two candidates in each race advance to the November general election.
Driving the news: Ballots are being mailed to registered voters starting today. They must be postmarked by Aug. 6 if returned by mail, or placed in an official drop box by 8pm that day.
The big picture: Voters are deciding this year who will replace three-term Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who isn't running for re-election.
- Attorney General Bob Ferguson leads all other gubernatorial candidates in fundraising, followed by former Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, state Sen. Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah), and Republican Semi Bird, a former Richland School Board member.
- A competitive race is shaping up to fill Ferguson's shoes as attorney general. Democrat Nick Brown, a former U.S. attorney for Western Washington, is vying for the job against fellow Democrat Manka Dhingra, a state senator, and Republican Pete Serrano, a Pasco City Council member.
Zoom in: Seattle voters will also decide which two candidates will advance in a special election for a nonpartisan City Council seat.
- Chinatown-International District advocate Tanya Woo was appointed to fill the vacancy earlier this year.
- Woo now faces three other candidates: tech consultant Tariq Yusuf, community organizer Saunatina Sanchez, and Alexis Mercedes Rinck, assistant director of policy, planning and state operations in the University of Washington's budget office.
- A fourth challenger, entrepreneur Saul Patu, has dropped out of the race, according to the Seattle Ethics and Elections commission. But he will still appear on the ballot, because withdrew after the deadline to be removed from the primary ballot, Crosscut reports.
How it works: Voters can register or update their address online through July 29. After that, you can still change your voter registration in person through 8pm on Election Day at a county elections office or vote center.
- If you need a replacement ballot, you can print one or request that one be mailed to you using VoteWA.gov, or through the King County Elections website.
What we're watching: In our top-two primary system, Democrat vs. Democrat and Republican vs. Republican general election matchups have been known to happen.
Go deeper: Real "I voted" stickers are coming to Seattle area voters