King County voters to decide on moving local elections to even-numbered years on November ballot

KING COUNTY, Wash. — King County voters will now decide in November whether to move county-level office elections to even-numbered years after a proposal was approved by the King County Council on Tuesday.

The ordinance, sponsored by King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, proposes an amendment to the King County Charter that would move elections for county executive, county assessor, county director of elections and county councilmembers from odd-numbered to even-numbered years.

Officials elected to these positions in 2023 or 2025 would serve a three-year term to allow for voting to move to an even-numbered-year schedule. Subsequently elected officials, starting in 2026 and 2028, would again serve four-year terms.

King County voters already elect their prosecuting attorney and Superior Court judges in even years.

Supporters of the change say that voter turnout is higher and more diverse in even-numbered years.

In the 2021 general election, voter turnout was just below 44%, according to King County Elections data. In 2020, it was closer to 90%.

“The more voters participating in our elections, the better. It makes for a stronger democracy, and it makes for a stronger election of elected officials,” said councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles during Tuesday’s council meeting. “This is happening in other counties already in our state, and I’ve not heard of any issues.”

But some have expressed concern that local races would get less attention if they were put alongside major national races.

“Asking voters to consider local and national elections in the same year is completely misguided and would surely allow the drama and partisanship of national politics to drown out the local, nuts-and-bolts issues that are integral to our daily lives,” said councilmember Reagan Dunn in a statement earlier this month.

The proposal to amend the county’s charter was passed by a 7-2 vote, with councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Pete von Reichbauer both voting against it.

It will now be up to King County voters to make the final decision on the Nov. 8 ballot.

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