By the end of this month, it appears that there will be a new entry in the list of the top ten worst general election voter turnouts in Washington State history. It will belong to this year’s general election, which is sadly on track to have meager turnout, just like the five odd-year cycles that preceded it (2021, 2019, 2017, 2015, and 2013), which represent half of the entries on the current top ten list.
With twenty-four hours left to vote, statewide voter turnout currently stands at 19.86%, just shy of twenty percent. That’s right: more than four fifths of voters have yet to return a ballot. A significant number of voters will vote on Election Day, but perhaps not enough to push voter turnout past forty percent. Turnout has been under that mark in three out of the last four odd year elections:
- 2021: 39.38%
- 2019: 45.19%
- 2017: 37.10%
- 2015: 38.45%
As in the past, the current turnout leaders are all tiny rural counties: Columbia, Garfield, and Wahkiakum top the list with turnout of 39.33%, 39.66%, and 32.94%, respectively. After that, it’s Lincoln, Pacific, and Island; those are the only other counties that have passed the thirty percent mark.
Of the bigger counties, Spokane has the highest turnout at 28%. Whatcom is close behind at 27.84%. King, Snohomish, and Pierce (the three biggest) all lag the statewide tally, with 19.02%, 18.50%, and 12.71% each. The Pierce percentage in particular is absolutely dreadful — it’s the worst in the state. Second worst is Clark County, home to many of the Portland suburbs, with 14.39%.
The fact that all of the big counties are doing so poorly doesn’t bode well.
If there isn’t strong Election Day participation from Washington voters, we could end up giving 2017 a run for its money and setting a new record for the worst-ever general election turnout in state history. That would be very sad.
At this point in 2019 (which currently sits in the record books as having the eighth worst turnout in state history), 21.96% of ballots had been returned. At certification, turnout was 45.19%; more than fifty percent of the 2,035,401
ballots cast were returned in the final twenty-four hours of voting.
Though Washington is the easiest state in the country to vote in (aside from Oregon), voter turnout in odd years has been consistently bad. Most Washingtonians simply don’t want to vote up to four times a year every year, which is why it’s important that we take action to address voter fatigue.
In King County, thanks to voter approval of a charter amendment developed here at NPI and sponsored by Councilmember Claudia Balducci, voters will be electing six county positions for the final time in an odd-numbered year. The offices of King County Elections Director, King County Assessor, and King County Councilmember (2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th Districts) will next be voted upon in 2026, a midterm cycle, when turnout is expected to be above fifty percent.
NPI has a bill in the Washington State Legislature that would give cities and towns the freedom to switch their elections to even-numbered years: Senate Bill 5723. Passage of this legislation would allow municipalities that wish to elect their mayors, city attorneys, councilmembers, and other officers during years when turnout is higher and more diverse to do so. Current state law locks cities and towns into low turnout odd years, which means that a few are choosing Washington’s municipal leadership rather than the many.
We’re looking forward to continuing to work on SB 5723. There is no other electoral reform available that can as much as double turnout for local elections while also significantly diversifying it. And it’s very popular with Washingtonians. The Legislature will have an opportunity to send SB 5723 to Governor Jay Inslee when it reconvenes for its next session in just a few weeks.
In the meantime: if you’re reading this, please vote, and please check with your friends and family to make sure they have voted. It matters!
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