June 2026 Spotlight: Page 6

Why Your Vote Matters When It Comes To The Washington State Supreme Court

By Richard Burton, State Affiliate Political Organizer

All too often in elections, many voters choose to skip the races pertaining to judges. This year is NOT the year to continue that practice!

Why?  Because of the nine seats on Washington’s Supreme Court, FIVE - a majority - of them are up for election. Further, a formidable right-wing group, opposed to Labor rights and public education, has formed to help elect their chosen candidates for these seats. 

Unlike the federal Supreme Court where the justices are appointed, the nine justices comprising our state’s Supreme Court are elected. Their terms are for six years, and they are staggered so that not all of the seats are up in the same election. But even though not all of the nine positions are on the ballot this year, the fact that the majority of them are is sufficient to warrant much more voter interest than usual.

These are non-partisan races, and in all but one of the five, there are more than two candidates running. Since Washington state has a “top-two” primary system, the August 4^th primary will be crucial for the candidates running for positions 1, 3, 5, and 7. Position 4 only has two candidates (Sean Patrick O’Donnell and AFT Washington-endorsed Ian Birk) who will automatically advance to the general election. If the election process in our state proceeds as usual (i.e., with no federal interference), voters should be receiving their primary ballots in the mail by July 18^th. These Supreme Court elections are crucial for Washington state.

In case you’re still not sure that the state Supreme Court matters much, here are just a few examples of cases and judicial reforms that our state’s Supreme Court has enacted in relatively recent years.

• In its landmark McCleary decision in 2012, the Court ruled that the State failed to meet its duty under the constitution by consistently providing preK-12 school districts with a level of resources that fell short of the actual costs of the basic education program. This resulted in a major reform of the legislature’s model for funding – and a significant increase in funding for schools. 
• In 2018, the Washington Supreme Court became the first court in the nation to adopt a court rule aimed at eliminating both implicit and intentional racial bias in jury selection. This rule – General Rule 37 – applies to all jury trials, civil and criminal, throughout the state. It has been used by courts across the country as a model. 
• In the Quinn et al vs. Washington 2023 decision, the Court ruled that the then-recently enacted capital gains tax was constitutional. Opponents of the new tax had claimed that the tax was a property tax on income, hence in violation of our state’s constitution. But the Court ruled that the tax is an excise tax, not a property tax. This resulted in considerably more progressive revenue being made available for the public good. 

There are several initiatives that will likely be challenged in court if they pass in November. Additionally, we expect that the state Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the Millionaire’s Tax that dedicates revenue to funding the state’s public education commitments, among other critical needs. The state Supreme Court is a powerful tool for building communities that work for all of us, and the judges we elect should best represent our values. 

You can see the Supreme Court candidates AFT Washington’s COPE committee and Executive Board chose to endorse in the article on our endorsed candidates. You are heartily encouraged to look into these judicial races, and of course your ultimate voting decision is your own. But please give due consideration to these endorsed candidates. 

Election Information For Washington Voters

By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist

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.

The Secretary of State's Website And VoteWA.gov

The Secretary of State’s office is responsible for Washington state’s elections, and their website is an absolute wealth of resources for all election-related questions. In addition, every county has their own elections offices, where the actual ballots are processed – you can find yours by searching your county name and elections office. Many, if not all, offer tours if you’re really interested in learning more about how ballots are processed once they’re received. 

The other major resource to know in Washington is VoteWA.gov. This is the state’s voting portal that allows you to verify and update your voting information, as well as track your ballot all the way from it being mailed to you to being received and processed by the elections office. If there are any issues with your ballot, this is a great way to ensure that those are dealt with as quickly as possible. 

Federal Election Updates

This year, things are a little bit different than they have been in the past. The Secretary of State’s office has updates on the federal challenges to vote by mail and voting, and how they affect Washington voters, so that’s a good first step if you have questions. 

When To Vote

The Secretary of State’s office provides a timeline of legally-mandated dates for all elections. For the August primary, ballots will be mailed out and voting centers opened on July 17^th. The cutoff for online and mailed voter registrations is July 27^th. August 4^th is the deadline for in-person voter registration and updates, and it is also the deadline for voting; ballots must be in a drop box by 8:00 PM. We do not recommend waiting until the last day to post your ballot.

How To Return Your Ballot

Washington defaults to vote by mail. We have one of the oldest vote-by-mail systems in the country, and it works well, with good security. Your ballot will be mailed to the address you registered with the Elections Division, and you can return it to an election office, a drop box or by mail. If you choose to mail your ballot, you do not need postage. However, there is a new policy at the USPS and a case before the Supreme Court that make delays in receiving mailed ballots very likely and may result in rejection; we are recommending using a drop box to return your ballot unless you vote extremely early. 

If you choose to return your ballot through a drop box, it does not need to be in your voting district. You can find the statewide list of drop boxes for the current election here. Ballot boxes do get extremely busy, particularly in the last day or so of an election. The sooner you can turn in your ballot, the better.

If you prefer to vote in person, the law requires at least one polling place per county. You can find that information here. (The simplest way is to select your county, then Voting Centers; they will be the gold dots, while drop box locations are the green dots.) You do not need to bring your mailed ballot to vote in person; polling places are equipped with the ballots for each district in that county. Please note that not all counties have multiple polling places and they are generally in the largest cities in the county.

If you vote more than once, the voter registration database is set to flag that you have already voted a ballot; if you need to re-vote due to a mistake or other issue, contact your county's elections office to request a replacement ballot instead. Your first ballot received will be the one counted; your second will be discarded.

Accessible Voting

If you are a voter with a disability that requires accommodation to be able to vote, there are a lot of resources and options on this page. 

How (and When) To Register

Washington allows you to register online or register by mail, but your registration must be received at least 8 days before an election (including the primary). After that cutoff, you may register in person up to Election Day, and you will need to vote in-person at that time.

If you register by mail, the registration form is available in many different languages at the link above.

Other Tips

• Washington state law restores voting rights to felons who are not currently serving a sentence of total confinement, but you must re-register to vote.
• Washington state allows other people to return ballots on behalf of voters. In some states, this is considered ballot stuffing, but it is entirely legal in Washington, and can be helpful for voters with disabilities or complex work schedules.
• Fixing minor errors on a ballot is called “curing” a ballot. It is legal to do, and the Elections Office will inform you if yours needs curing.

Electoral Updates

We will be restarting the Legisletter when the ballots drop, in mid-July. While we will mostly focus on electoral races and issues, we are also beginning our legislative advocacy and expect to have updates on that and on the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges’ efficiency report process. If you are not signed up and would like to receive those updates, you can sign up here.

Our Primary Endorsements

By AFT Washington Staff

The AFT Washington COPE committee, chaired by Mark Gorecki, and the elected members of the AFT Washington Executive Board made endorsements in many of the races in Washington this season. Many of the endorsements we made are familiar faces that members know and have spoken with before. This year, we saw a very high number of legislative appointees, who need to run in the next election to defend their appointments, so there may be some new faces here. We believe these candidates have strong, clear visions in line with our values, and would serve well in their districts.

If you aren't sure of your legislative district, you can find it at the Washington State Legislative District Finder.

Candidates in italics are dual-endorsed.

State Supreme Court

Position 1: Colleen Melody

Position 3: Jaime Michelle Hawk

Position 4: Ian Birk

Position 5: Theodore Angelis

Position 7: Debra Stephens 

State Legislature