2024 voter guide: What's on your Washington state ballot
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Ballots for the Nov. 5 election will be arriving in your mailbox soon. Here's what you need to know if you're voting in Washington state.
Why it matters: Washington this fall will choose its first new governor and attorney general in 12 years.
- Voters will also decide four statewide ballot measures that could change the state's direction when it comes to taxation and fighting climate change.
- That's on top of elections for president, U.S. senator and most state legislative seats.
Zoom in: In Seattle, an at-large council seat is on the ballot in a special election open to voters citywide.
Voting in Washington state
- You can register to vote or update your address online or by mail through Oct. 28.
- After that, registration changes can be made in person at any election office or voting center through 8pm on Nov. 5.
- Ballots must be postmarked, or returned to an official ballot dropbox, by 8pm on Election Day.
- Ballots will be mailed to registered voters no later than Oct. 18. (They go out Oct. 16 in King County.)
- To request a ballot, contact your county election office.
Governor: Bob Ferguson (D) vs. Dave Reichert (R)
Former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert is trying to become the first Republican elected as governor in Washington since 1980.
- He's competing against Democrat Bob Ferguson, the state attorney general, who has a substantial fundraising advantage.
- The job is open for the first time in 12 years because Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, is not seeking re-election.
- The candidates differ on tax policy, housing issues, abortion, and more.
Go deeper:
- Where the candidates for Washington governor disagree most
- Four key moments from the first Washington governor's debate
- Fact-checking abortion claims in Washington's governor race
Attorney General: Pete Serrano (R) vs. Nick Brown
Republican Pete Serrano, the mayor of Pasco, and Democrat Nick Brown, a former U.S. attorney for Western Washington, are competing to replace Bob Ferguson as attorney general.
- Serrano is co-director of a nonprofit that has filed lawsuits challenging the state's gun laws and fighting COVID-19 vaccine mandates for government workers.
- Brown has worked to help draft and defend gun control laws in Washington state. He and Serrano are arguing opposite sides of a case that seeks to overturn the state's ban on selling weapons such as AR-15s.
Go deeper:
- Washington attorney general candidates collide over gun laws
- How Washington AG candidates compare on policing, gun laws, abortion and more
3rd Congressional District: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) vs. Joe Kent (R)
The contest in Southwest Washington is listed by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report as one of only two dozen toss-up House races nationwide.
- The two candidates are squaring off again after facing each other in 2022, when Gluesenkamp Perez narrowly pulled off an upset victory.
- On the campaign trail, Gluesenkamp Perez has called some of Kent's views "too extreme," such as his denial of the 2020 election results and his opposition to abortion.
- Kent, in turn, has accused Gluesenkamp Perez of being soft on border security and supporting policies he says led to increased inflation.
Go deeper:
- Washington has one of the year's most competitive House races
- Gluesenkamp Perez and Kent set for rematch in WA-03
- How the Pacific Northwest could decide control of the U.S. House
8th Congressional District: Kim Schrier (D) vs. Carmen Goers (R)
U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier is the only Democrat to ever represent Washington's 8th Congressional District, having turned it blue with her election in 2018.
- Republican Carmen Goers, a commercial banker, is now trying to stop Schrier from winning a fourth term.
- While campaigning, Goers has cited rising crime and high gas prices as evidence the district needs a change.
- Schrier, a Sammamish pediatrician, has focused more on issues such as lowering health care costs and ensuring access to abortion.
U.S. Senate: Maria Cantwell (D) vs. Raul Garcia (R)
Cantwell, a Democrat who has been in the U.S. Senate for 24 years, faces a challenge from Republican Raul Garcia, a Yakima physician.
- Garcia wants to see the government take a harsher approach to fentanyl use and homelessness, while Cantwell emphasizes the need to improve treatment options and build more housing.
Go deeper: How Cantwell and Garcia compare in Washington's U.S. Senate race
Other major federal races
6th Congressional District: State Sen. Drew MacEwen (R-Union) is competing against one of his colleagues, state Sen. Emily Randall (D-Bremerton), in the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Gig Harbor).
4th Congressional District: U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Sunnyside) is one of only two remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Former President Trump in 2021.
- He faces a challenge from the right in fellow Republican Jerrod Sessler, who has received Trump's endorsement.
Initiative 2117: Repealing cap-and-trade
Washington's cap-and-trade law puts a price on greenhouse gas emissions, and also requires some of the state's biggest polluters to reduce their carbon footprint over time.
- Critics say the law has contributed to higher gas prices in Washington state and should be repealed, which is what would happen if voters pass I-2117.
- Supporters call it an important piece of the state's fight against climate change.
Go deeper: Gov. Inslee fights repeal of his signature cap-and-trade law
Initiative 2109: Repealing Washington's capital-gains tax
Democrats in Olympia spent years trying to pass a capital-gains tax before Washington's Legislature finally approved one three years ago.
- Now, with I-2109, Republicans are seeking to repeal that tax, which applies to profits from selling assets such as stocks and bonds.
What they're saying: Advocates of getting rid of the capital gains tax say it's unnecessary and is hurting the state's business climate.
- Those who want to keep the tax argue it pays for important state programs such as child care, while affecting only a few thousand of the wealthiest Washingtonians.
Go deeper: The future of Washington's capital gains tax is on the ballot
Initiative 2124: Amending long-term care law
Most Washington workers pay a 0.58% payroll tax that bankrolls a program called WA Cares.
- The program provides eligible people with a lifetime benefit of up to $36,500, which they can use to pay for nursing care or other services they may need as they age or become disabled.
- I-2124 would make the state program voluntary, so people could opt out if they want.
- Supporters of the initiative say it's about providing people choices. But opponents say allowing unlimited opt-outs would effectively bankrupt the long-term care system.
Go deeper: I-2124 would make Washington's long-term care program optional
Initiative 2066: Access to natural gas
I-2066 would block state and local policies that discourage the use of natural gas in homes and buildings.
- Among other things, it would force a rollback of Washington's new building code rules that promote the use of electric heat pumps over natural gas heating systems.
- Supporters of I-2066 say the new building codes will increase the cost of new housing. Opponents counter that I-2066 would raise energy costs for families by making homes less energy efficient.
Go deeper: I-2066, Washington's natural gas ballot measure, explained
Commissioner of public lands: Dave Upthegrove (D) vs. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R)
Former U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican, faces King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove in the race for this job managing the state's forests and other public lands.
Flashback: Herrera Beutler lost her seat in Congress in 2022 after being one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach former President Trump.
- Upthegrove narrowly came out ahead of Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson in the August primary, in what was the closest statewide primary race on record in Washington state.
Go deeper:
- The biggest contrasts in Washington's public lands commissioner race
- Upthegrove will face Herrera Beutler for lands commissioner
- Public lands commissioner race goes to a hand recount
Seattle City Council, position 8: Alexis Mercedes Rinck vs. Tanya Woo
Tanya Woo, who was appointed to the City Council in January, is fighting off a challenge from Alexis Mercedes Rinck, whose background includes working as an assistant director in the University of Washington's budget office.
- The candidates have different views on, among other issues, drug enforcement policy and whether the city should raise taxes on corporations to pay for city services.
Go deeper:
- Three divides shaping Seattle's only city council race this year
- In Seattle council race, Rinck leads incumbent Woo
Seattle Proposition 1: Transportation levy
This $1.55 billion transportation levy is the largest property tax measure in city history.
- If approved, Proposition 1 will pay for improved sidewalks, extended bike lanes, and better transit, advocates say. But opponents argue it will cost Seattleites too much.
Go deeper: What to know about Seattle's $1.55 billion tax measure