KUOW's 2025 voter guide for Western Washington ballots

Catharine Smith

Scott Greenstone

October 23, 2025 / 5:50 pm

Ballots in Washington state’s general election are due by Nov. 4.

Below, we’ll walk you through some of the hottest races we’re watching. Most are in the Seattle area, with a few notables elsewhere in Western Washington. We also highlight a couple ballot measures to keep an eye on.

KING COUNTY

King County Executive

King County executive is a little-known but huge job overseeing the metro bus system, county jail, sheriff, drug and mental health treatment funding, and wastewater division, among other things. The executive manages around 17,000 employees and a huge budget that’s in trouble. Declining tax revenues mean big cuts are probably imminent.

The executive sea

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