In the space of just an hour around lunchtime on Tuesday, dozens of people used the drop box outside the community center in South Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood. People parked illegally, jogged up or took extra long walks with their dogs to get their ballots in.
JoAnn Green said she wants to make sure whoever is elected truly represents all people.
"It's important that everyone gets out here and vote and make a difference before you know, the big vote in November," she said. "So I just want to make sure that I'm electing the right people to do the right job for everyone."
Deaunte Damper, a community organizer who lives in the neighborhood, said the city and the state have been in disarray since 2020.
He said he took a long time deciding who to choose for attorney general and generally looked for candidates who would do more than just posturing on the issues.
"There's so many people that want to walk away from 2020, as if we're not, as if we still don't need to hold police accountable, as if we still don't need to focus on Black lives in our community,” Damper said
Other voters said they were looking for more emphasis on law and order, the economy, reproductive rights, and immigration.
“I just look at voting overall as as very important to our quality of life, whether it's the economy or housing, or our youth, our freedoms, etc.,“ said Pat Butler Lathan, a Hillman City business owner.
Dozens of people also said they were voting later than usual.
Ben Chinowsky said he finally opened his ballot Monday hoping to get it done quickly. Then he saw nearly 100 unfamiliar names. Twenty-eight candidates are running for governor and dozens more for Congressional races around the state.
"So I took an hour this morning to go through the voters guide and sort out the marginal candidates from the serious candidates and make my selection,” Chinowsky said.
Willie Anderson, who dropped off his ballot with his granddaughter, said the long list of candidates was unusual. Asked about Washington having a new governor for the first time since 2013, he said it’s due.
“Inslee ran his course, long as whoever we get next continues to be fair to the people. It's all about the state and the people,” Anderson said.
Alex Martin was proudly wearing an “I Voted” sticker that came with her ballot in the mail. She said she was excited to vote for many of the candidates running in this election, but…
“I'm pretty embarrassed that you're catching me here. I try to get it done, you know, a week or two in advance. Usually," she said with a laugh.
As of Monday just over 20% of the ballots had been returned. Last year’s primary turnout was just 29% overall. In 2022, there was a 40% turnout of registered voters.
Listen for more coverage of Washington’s primary elections on Morning Edition and All Things Considered on KNKX.
