The SECB tends to think so, at least a little bit, though it's certainly not a deciding factor in endorsements. In the case of King County Council challenger Naomi Wilson, her unimpressive voting record wasn't a huge part of our decision-making; as our endorsement of her opponent, Rod Dembowski, states, we just really happen to like the work he's doing. But we did mention it as one of a few reasons we didn't pick her.

We got this letter to the editor in response to that comment, and it seems worth sharing:

While I always appreciate The Stranger's Voters’ Guide, I have one major qualm with regard to your comments on King County Council Candidate Naomi Wilson. You state, “Naomi Wilson has little experience and a spotty voting record, and is running on the platform of not being an ‘insider.’”

Frankly, the voting piece is very disturbing. By saying this, The Stranger, a paper that has historically advocated for new perspectives and atypical candidates, is essentially disparaging a large number of citizens who may someday believe they can make a big difference in their community.

With only a 51 percent turnout expected in the upcoming general election, and a 26 percent turnout in this year’s primary, you might as well tell all the people who didn’t make it to the polls once or twice in their lifetimes to not even bother with voting, elections or ever considering a run for office in the future.

Moreover, with Councilmember Julia Patterson leaving and dismal results for candidate Shari Song in the primary, the King County Council could very likely lose all female Democrat presence. So thank you, Stranger, for helping to discourage a single female of color with two adopted children and a full-time job so King County can elect another "Leave It to Beaver charming" white male.

Emily Wicks, Seattle