I told myself I wasn’t going to start this post with a lecture but you know what? Fuck it. Guilt is sometimes the most effective motivator. And if you don’t vote in this year’s August primary, you should feel guilty as fuck. Voting is incredibly easy in Seattle—your ballot gets mailed to your house with pre-paid postage—and skipping this election could mean 80 percent of parks funding gets cut and libraries across the city will close.
So, vote already!
Ballots need to be mailed or dropped off at ballot collecting locations by election day on August 6. You should have already received a ballot, so put the bong down and check your mail. Still can’t find your ballot? First, check your registration status at this link. If you’re registered and you still didn’t get a ballot, then there are practically a million fucking ways to replace it.
And even if you aren’t registered, there is still time to register and vote in this year’s election. You have until the end of the day today to register online. It’s fucking easy, all you need is your ID. If you miss today’s deadline you can still register, you’ll just need to register in person at one of King County Elections two offices, which you can do up until election day on August 6.
Voting gets even easier once you get your ballot, because we already made the tough decisions for you! Just read the Stranger Election Control Board’s endorsements (they’re funny and you’ll learn something), or just read our endorsement cheat sheet and vote accordingly.
Nearly the entire Seattle City Council is up for election this year. These are the politicians that decide how high your utility bills are, how our police force operates, and whether or not this city ever gets off its ass and builds The Stranger’s long sought-after municipal mushroom farm.
There’s also county council elections and incredibly important parks and library funding levies. Do you want cut funding for county parks by 80 percent, or see libraries across the city close their doors? No? Then fucking vote!
