Hello, it's Tuesday! Get those ballots to the boxes.

⛅ Today's weather: Partly sunny, with a high of 56.

🗳️ Know what matters this election. Become a member and support the local reporting.

Today’s newsletter is 987 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Washington voters will decide today whether to repeal the state's new income tax, along with whether to ban trans girls from girls' sports and expand parents' access to student records.

Why it matters: Voters are being asked to reshape state policy, while also determining who holds seats in Congress, the state Legislature, the state Supreme Court and local offices.

Early results from the vote-by-mail election are expected to be posted on the Secretary of State and King County Elections websites around 8pm.

Here are some of the key issues and races we're watching this evening.

Income tax test

Initiative 645 would roll back the new income tax on high earners that Washington's Legislature approved earlier this year.

• The 9.9% tax on annual incomes over $1 million is set to take effect in 2028, with the first tax bills due in 2029.
• A "yes" vote on I-645 would repeal the tax; a "no" vote would leave the tax in place. Read more.

Trans girls in sports

Initiative 638 would ban trans girls from competing in K-12 school sports.

• If passed, it would require all girls who want to participate in sports to submit medical verification of their biological sex.
• Supporters say the verification process wouldn't require additional testing or medical appointments.
• Opponents argue it would subject girls to invasive and cumbersome medical checks that wouldn't be required of boys. Read more.

Parental rights initiative

Initiative 001 would put Washington's rules on parental access to student records back before voters, after lawmakers changed those rules last year.

• The measure aims to restore parents' access to certain information about mental health counseling and medical care their children receive through school. Read more.

Local races and measures

The sole Seattle City Council race on the ballot is in North Seattle's District 5, with Julie Kang and Nilu Jenks vying for the open seat.

• A competitive King County Council race is underway in District 2, where Democratic state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña faces Seattle Port Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa.
• A Seattle ballot measure, Proposition 1, will also decide whether to double the city's voter-approved sales tax for transit service from 0.15% to 0.3%.

Share this story

Changes to how the U.S. Postal Service processes mail could lead to an additional 20,000 Washington ballots being rejected for late postmarks this year, according to UW researchers.

Why it matters: Under new Postal Service procedures, ballots are not always being postmarked the same day as they're mailed, prompting election officials to urge Washington voters to use ballot drop boxes instead.

How it works: State law requires ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, even if they arrive afterward.

Yes, but: Changes to USPS transportation operations last year have caused some mail to take longer to reach mail processing facilities, delaying postmarks in some cases.

• The new system makes it more likely that mail will be postmarked on a different day than it's mailed, the agency says.

What they found: Late ballot rejection rates rose as the postal service changes expanded across Washington last year, with rural voters especially vulnerable, UW researchers found.

• The researchers estimate roughly 20,000 more Washington ballots could be rejected for late postmarks this election than in a typical congressional election year.

What's next: UW researchers and election officials say the safest way to return your ballot is by placing it in a ballot drop box by 8pm today.

• If you must mail your ballot, you can take it to a post office and ask a postal worker to postmark it on the spot.

Tell a friend

🚐 Mayor Wilson vetoed a plan to ban RVs from parking overnight on Seattle streets without a permit. Wilson plans to announce her own executive order on RVs today; the City Council could still override her veto. (KING 5)

📹 Renton is ending its contract with Flock and removing all 24 license plate readers after months of people showing up at council meetings to voice their opposition to the cameras. (Renton Reporter)

🏛️ Some Seattle City Council members are pushing to restore or add public safety funding to Mayor Wilson's proposed budget, including for fire department overtime and police recruitment. (Seattle Times)

A Yakima County resident died Sunday from bird flu after exposure to infected dairy cattle, marking the first U.S. death from the virus in a year, health officials said. (AP)

💵 Seattle's median household income hit $122,800 last year, census data shows. But income growth over the past three years has lagged inflation. (Seattle Times)

Washingtonians got an extra hour of shut-eye when we turned back the clocks Sunday. But apparently, we were doing pretty well without it.

The big picture: Washington is above average when it comes to sleep health, according to an Apple Health Study analysis shared with Axios.

By the numbers: Washington's average sleep score was 75.66, ranking 12th among the 50 states and highest along the Pacific Coast, ahead of California (75.54) and Oregon (75.23).

• The average sleep score in the U.S. — a number that combines duration, wake-up interruptions and bedtime consistency — was about 74.7. Apple considers between 61 and 80 an "OK" score.

The fine print: Sleep data was collected from more than 52,000 Apple Watch users over 13 million nights between March 2025 and August 2026.

Go deeper: How to get more sleep

Oof. The Seahawks had a rough one last night, losing 34-17 to the Chicago Bears at home.

🎃 Melissa is debating whether to store or offload her kids' Halloween costumes.

🧶 Clarridge is deep in holiday knitting.

This newsletter was edited by Geoff Ziezulewicz.