Endorsements and Elections | AFT Washington, AFL-CIO

Vote NO On The Statewide Initiatives

Once again, in this election our state’s initiative process is being used to protect the wealth of millionaires and sow dissent among ordinary Washingtonians. All three statewide initiatives are being bankrolled by MAGA mega-donor Brian Heywood, whose organization “Let’s Go Washington” was also behind the 2024 efforts to repeal the capital gains tax, end the Long-Term Care Trust fund, and substantially repeal the state’s efforts to address climate change. We defeated those initiatives and defended a stronger, cleaner Washington – it’s time to do that again.

Initiative 001 would further endanger

Selected Legislative Endorsements

For some candidates in crucial or tight races, we provide in-depth endorsements to explain our reasoning for asking you to support them. This year's general election features some really important labor and education champions we want to return or elect.

Election Interference

This year has seen unprecedented challenges to voting. There are two main prongs to the effort to suppress the vote, which are the Trump Administration's direct actions, and the actions of the United States Postal Service. With the situation so fluid, we will keep this page updated through the midterms and highlight what is happening and what actions we as voters can take.

Delayed Postmarks

The USPS announced a policy change regarding postmarks last year. Now postmarks are applied reflecting the date that an individual piece of mail is first handled by a sorting machine, not the date that the

Washington State Supreme Court Endorsements

This year's election includes five of the nine Supreme Court seats. The majority of the Supreme Court is on the ballot this year and that's bad news; a formidable right-wing group that opposes labor rights and public education has formed to help elect extremist candidates. While the seats are non-partisan, a judge's personal principles and values matter a great deal, and we want to elect a Supreme Court that will protect working Washingtonians' interests over those of corporations and authoritarians.

We believe that the five candidates we have endorsed will represent Washingtonians well and

Our 2026 General Legislative Endorsements

Based on the outcome of the primary election, the AFT Washington COPE committee made a few updated endorsements in several of the races in Washington this primary season. (The good news for us is that almost all of our endorsed candidates made it through the primary!) If you aren't sure of your legislative district, you can find it at the Washington State Legislature District Finder.

City of Seattle Voters: Democracy Vouchers

Do you know about Democracy Vouchers?

The city of Seattle has a first-of-its-kind Democracy Vouchers program where the city provides 4 $25 vouchers, for a total of $100, to registered Seattle voters. The intention is to allow small donors to support their preferred candidates for city office more easily. Candidates must pledge to be in the Democracy Voucher program.

In 2025, the Mayor, City Attorney, and City Council Positions 2, 8, and 9 are eligible for Democracy Vouchers. The vouchers cannot be used for an initiative or other ballot item.

If you are over 18, and a voter registered in the City

Voting Tips And Resources

If you’ve never considered what goes into a statewide election, you might be surprised at how detailed it gets! Along with the basics of Washington state law, which remain largely consistent from election to election, in every election cycle there are updates to the what and the where of voting in Washington state. It’s good information to have, particularly when voting, and mail-in voting, is such a hot topic in the news.