We need your help. The economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis is threatening our ability to keep producing the stories you've come to love. If youâre able, please consider making a monthly contribution to The Stranger.

The path to reelection for Donald Trump is rough and tough: He needs to win multiple swing states. Many of those are trending toward Biden, and he had a very good day. If the current votes hold, Democrats essentially only need to win one more big swing state to win. Results continue to come in throughout the night, and if Georgia gets called for Biden, the election is nearly over for Trump. Georgia remains highly competitive.
The Biden-Harris camp hasn't declared victory, but they did launch their transition website. Also, this made me fucking cry:
âThe Black vote in Detroit is the highest itâs ever been, and we will determine the outcome, because weâve gone from picking cotton to picking presidents.â https://t.co/I1CgDie6Aq
â Clint Smith (@ClintSmithIII) November 4, 2020
So when are we figuring this thing out? Georgia expects much of its vote counting to wrap up soon, with big drops happening around the 6 PM hour, Seattle-time. The results from Nevada's late-arriving mail ballots, which pollsters expect to lean Democratic, should arrive around 9 AM tomorrow. There's still ~14 percent of the votes to count in Nevada. Pennsylvania has many ballots to count, and it should take until Thursday or Friday to figure it out. North Carolina will probably take a whileâmail-in ballots can arrive until November 12 in that state, and only then will more votes be revealed.
All day, Trump's spammed his supporters with emails proclaiming, "BREAKING! DEMOCRATS PLAN TO STEAL THE ELECTION!" and "Weâre emailing you now to ask for you to step up ONE LAST TIME and DEFEND YOUR PRESIDENT!" This afternoon, Trump's campaign filed suit to stop vote counting in Michigan until the campaign could get "meaningful access" to observe vote tallying in the state. That state was called for Biden this afternoon, Seattle-time.
Puerto Ricans can't vote for the president, but they voted to say "Yes" to statehood: Is now the time for Puerto Rican statehood? Puerto Ricans want it!
Denny Heck is beating the heck out of Marko Liias in the race for WA Lieutenant Governor: There are still many votes to be counted, but the Seattle Times has called the race for Heck.
In addition to whiffing his run for governor, Loren Culp is also out as police chief in Republic, WA: After taking an approved leave of absence to finish his campaign, Culp apparently found out the city council had a special meeting to defund Republic's police department, which included eliminating his job. "Not even a letter of thank you. Not a plaque for ten years of service. Not 'Hey Loren, thanks, but we don't need you anymore,'" said Culp in a virtual press conference, a.k.a. an unhinged Facebook Live this afternoon. "They just voted to defund the police department and away with that went my job." We're CACKLING folks.
Freakin antifa taking over the Republic City Council https://t.co/of9FePbAkK
â Rich Smith (@richsssmith) November 4, 2020
Oregon decriminalized drugs this year. Washington wants to do the same next year: But supporters of that effort, Treatment First Washington (TFW), wonât take the issue to the ballot as they had initially planned. Instead, during a press conference, today supporters said theyâll run âThe Treatment and Recovery Actâ as an Initiative to the Legislature. Like the Oregon bill, Washingtonâs legislationâwhich has yet to be fully draftedâwould reduce drug possession from a criminal misdemeanor to a civil infraction and then divert offenders to treatment services and programs. The state would tap pot tax money and court savings to expand those treatment programs. The major difference between the two bills boils down to how much of a given drug someone can have on them without getting busted for dealing, i.e. what constitutes a âpersonal-useâ amount. Oregonâs law spells that out, but, if passed, Washington would convene aâyou guessed itââstakeholder groupâ to determine those amounts. The bill would ultimately go into effect two years after passage. A TFW rep said theyâll nail down a prime sponsor next month. If you want to know why throwing people in jail for their addictions doesnât fucking work, start here and keep your eyes on Slog for updates down the line.
The United States is officially out of the Paris Climate Agreement: The nonbinding agreementâit's not even a treaty!âdidn't force the U.S. to do anything. It "essentially ties together every nationâs voluntary emissions pledge in a single forum, with the understanding that countries will set even tougher targets over time over time," explains the New York Times. Biden has said he would recommit the United States to the agreement on Day 1.
A quick update on the Senate: Democratic challenger Sara Gideon has conceded the Maine Senate race to incumbent Republican Susan Collins. Although predictions showed Gideon as the likely winner in the state, Collins managed to hold onto her seat by more than seven points with 83% reporting. We likely won't know the results in North Carolina until later next week. If Biden ends up winning, we could be in for at least two years of deadlock if the Senate races continue to trend toward a Republican majority.
Hundreds of MAGA doofuses swarmed ballot-counting in Detroit to challenge the election: Chanting "Stop the count! Stop the count!" They were making the baseless claim that election officials were "not allowing them to watch the count so they could rig the election in favor of Democratic nominee Joe Biden." Yeah, that's not true.
Ok I got into TCF. More crowd inside the building, outside of the official Detroit central absentee ballot counting board. Some yells about the election lacking integrity. pic.twitter.com/rxGMIuLblU
â Annalise Frank (@annalise_frank) November 4, 2020
North Dakota elected a politician to the House of Representatives who died of COVID-19: The 55-year-old cattle rancher and land developer David Andahl contracted the virus, dying on October 5 after four days in the hospital. Posthumous wins are rare, but not unheard of in the U.S., says WaPo. Now that Andahl has improbably won, the local Republican Party will be responsible for filling his seat until a special election can be held.
Ha Na has fallen, but another sushi joint will rise in its stead: Sumo Japanese Steak House will take over Ha Na's former space in Broadway Alley, reports CHS Blog. This spot will be the Washington chain's first Seattle location. It will have "old school Benihana energy" with performer chefs and will open "soon."
King County is on track to break 85% record voter turnout from the 2012 general election: As of this afternoon, around 86% of registered voted had sent in their ballots. King County Elections is waiting until November 24 when the election results are certified to declare the record officially, but we're looking good!
Lots of broken parking meters around The Area Formerly Known as CHOP: The Seattle Department of Transportation said that almost 80 pay stations have "been seriously vandalized" in the city, with Capitol Hill taking the brunt of the damage. CHS Blog says the city has "no plans for repairs" to those meters, which represent "thousands of dollars in damage and lost revenue for the city." Make parking free forever! JUST KIDDING. I was using my Eastside Dad voice.