Voting begins in Washington’s primary election

A ballot dropbox in Olympia, Wash. on March 12, 2024. (Bill Lucia/Washington State Stadard)

Voters in Washington are receiving, and casting, their ballots for the 2024 primary.

For the state’s 4.8 million registered voters, Friday marks the start of an 18-day voting period, culminating on Aug. 6. If you plan to participate, you need to be sure your ballot is postmarked or in a designated drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

It’s not too late to take part. One can register to vote online or by mail up until July 29. After that, you can do so in person at a county election office up until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

There are contests in every one of Washington’s 39 counties. Overall, 654 elected offices and 94 local measures are in front of voters, according to the secretary of state’s office.

The top two vote-getters for each office will move on to the general election in November.

In some contests, voters will be doing some serious winnowing down. 

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, faces 10 opponents in her bid for re-election. Republican Raul Garcia is viewed as the toughest challenger in the crowd that also features perennial candidate Goodspaceguy.

The governor’s race drew the largest crowd of hopefuls, 28. That’s because Gov. Jay Inslee is not running again which means Washington will be getting its first new governor in 12 years.

Four candidates – Democrats Bob Ferguson and Mark Mullet and Republicans Dave Reichert and Semi Bird – have been mixing it up for months. In less than three weeks, only two of them will advance.

Washington’s 10 congressional districts are on ballots. Voters in both parties have some tough decisions to make.

The retirements of Republican Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers in the 5th District in eastern Washington and Democrat Congressman Derek Kilmer in the 6th District in western Washington has incited some heated competitions

Eleven people – six Republicans and five Democrats – are vying to succeed McMorris Rodgers. 

Half as many people are seeking Kilmer’s seat with attention focused on the supercharged duel between two seasoned Democrats in the race – Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz and  state Sen. Emily Randall.

In the 3rd Congressional District, Democrat U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez could wind up facing Republican Joe Kent, whom she beat in 2022. Or she could be up against Leslie Lewallen, who is trying to convince GOP voters that Kent cannot defeat the incumbent in a rematch.

And in the 4th Congressional District, Republicans Tiffany Smiley and Jerrod Sessler, who both ardently support Donald Trump, are laser-focused on ousting Republican U.S. Rep Dan Newhouse, who voted to impeach the former president. Sessler, who Trump has endorsed, ran against Newhouse in 2022 as well.

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