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The November general election is at hand. Here’s what you need to know.

A person in a car places a ballot in a King County ballot drop box.
Elaine Thompson
/
The Associated Press file
A driver drops a ballot into a drop box at the King County Elections office in Renton.

Voters across Washington state should start seeing their ballots arriving in the mail in the next few days. And, while local elections tend to be relatively quiet, there are some interesting and consequential races on the ballot this year.

KNKX will be watching a few races in particular. Here’s what you need to know.

We’re voting again?

Yes! And, no, it’s not a presidential election or even a congressional election. It's time to look locally.

All of us across the state are being asked to give our neighbors and co-workers a little bit of authority to decide what happens around us. Hundreds of positions on city councils, school boards and even attorney’s offices are up for contention.

What are we voting on?

According to the state elections website, there are three judicial races, three statewide measures and nearly 3,000 local races.

Ballots will differ by county. You’ll likely get a voter guide in the mail to help explain a little bit of what’s on the ballot. If you don’t, or if you just can’t wait, you can go online to your county elections website and look at the online voter guide.

You can also check your voter registration status, report any issues you might be having and ask for help.

Just keep in mind that the website can’t tell you who to vote for or give you any partisan information.

What is KNKX watching?

Multiple news outlets across the state will be running elections coverage — especially keeping tabs on particularly important or close races.

Here at KNKX you can expect coverage of mayoral races in Seattle and Tacoma, the race for city attorney in Seattle, a citywide race for Seattle City Council Position 9, Tacoma council races, Proposition 1 in Kitsap County and a look at implications for climate policy, policing and more.

When is all of this happening again?

Great question! Here are some important dates.

  • Oct. 15: Start of the voting period; counties must have ballots mailed out.
  • Oct. 26: One week before Election Day and a good day by which to make sure you’ve mailed in your ballot
  • Nov. 2: Election Day. You can register to vote or update your registration until 8 p.m., but you’ll have to do it in person. Ballots must be postmarked by this day or dropped in a ballot box by 8 p.m.
Mayowa Aina covers cost-of-living and affordability issues in Western Washington. She focuses on how people do (or don't) make ends meet, impacts on residents' earning potential and proposed solutions for supporting people living at the margins of our community. Get in touch with her by emailing maina@knkx.org.