August primary ballots — including an important vote for libraries and a couple hot political battles — are in the hands of Capitol Hill and Central District voters

(Image: CHS)

Ballots for the August primary election have been distributed with a few big decisions for Capitol Hill and Central District area voters.

Don’t fret too much. Because of the top-two format, you’ll likely have a chance to change your mind in November.

The largest political battle underway around the Hill this summer will only go so far in determining the ultimate winner. CHS reported here as the 43rd District Democrats group chose to endorse “Tax the Rich” upstart Hannah Sabio-Howell over State Sen. Jamie Pedersen, the current Majority Leader in the Washington State Senate, an architect of the Millionaires Tax, and a veteran lawmaker who has been part of 43rd District leadership for twenty years.

Under the top-two format, both are all but guaranteed to go through but Sabio–Howell’s camp is hoping a strong primary performance will help keep the candidate’s momentum headed into what will be a much tougher battle in this fall’s general election.

One vote that will stick is the proposed renewal of the city’s library levy. The 2026 proposal would nearly double the city’s library tax rate to $0.23 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Over the course of the proposal’s seven-year run, the median Seattle homeowner would pay about $163 a year, according to the city’s analysis. Officials say the bump would raise around $480 million over the seven-year span.

CHS reported here on the proposal that includes millions for security and social services including a planned $11 million to fund security personnel and $1.2 million to support social service referrals across the 27 library system. The bulk of the funding — $218.4 — would support maintaining current operating hours at the branches while increasing spending on all-ages programs and the new security. A council committee added another $70 million in spending to the package including millions for a renovation of the Central Library branch.

Area ballots also include some important decisions on judges at the State Supreme Court, and the city’s Municipal Court. The League of Women Voters has published interviews with the Supreme Court candidates.

Meanwhile, some of your neighbors in the Central District are deciding in the first round of a political battle involving a familiar face at City Hall. Former District 3 City Councilmember Kshama Sawant is running as an independent socialist candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington’s 9th Congressional District, challenging long-time Democratic incumbent Adam Smith. Sawant, CHS reported, launched her campaign a year ago after ending her time at Seattle City Hall and setting out to build her Workers Strike Back organization into a national labor movement.

As usual, King County and Washington’s elections remain by-mail and by-drop box and, so far, the Trump administration’s attempts to erode the process have been rebuffed. In a June decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal law allows individual states to determine their own ballot receipt deadlines, upholding state laws that count mail-in ballots received after Election Day as long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day.

If a King County voter loses their ballot or needs a replacement, they can access a new ballot online by logging into the state portal at MyVote.wa.gov or King County’s online ballot system, where they can mark, download, and print a replacement ballot along with the required declaration signature page. Voters can obtain a physical replacement in person by visiting the King County Elections Office in Renton or an open Vote Center, or by calling King County Elections directly at 206-296-VOTE (8683) to request one by mail if time permits before Election Day.

Ballots can be returned via an official King County drop box including the Broadway box by 8:00 PM on Election Day, August 4th — or postmarked by mail on or before Election Day.

You can find CHS coverage of the races and issues at capitolhillseattle.com/tag/elections.

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