CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 UPDATE: Shannon Braddock’s lead over Lisa Herbold now 6 votes

3:58 PM: Today’s ballot count is just out, and Shannon Braddock is now 6 votes ahead of Lisa Herbold in the City Council District 1 race.

Shannon Braddock – 11,528 – 49.73%
Lisa Herbold – 11,522 – 49.70%

Up to 2,000 or so ballots remain to be counted in District 1. On page 45 of today’s printable results list, you’ll see that 25,741 ballots have been tallied in this race, while 27,568 ballots were ready for counting (of 27,979 received) in D-1 as of last night’s ballot-return stats (which will be updated at 8 tonight).

We won’t get the next results until Thursday, since tomorrow is the Veterans Day holiday. If you voted, now is the time to check whether your ballot was received for counting and declared valid – here’s how to do that. (Note that “your ballot will be counted” is the last message you’ll get – there is not a “has been counted” status.)

6:24 PM: One thing that *will* happen on the Veterans Day holiday – the 34th District Democrats‘ regular monthly meeting, 7 pm Wednesday at The Hall at Fauntleroy. It was long scheduled to include the organization’s “election recap,” and the online agenda says the group expects to hear from the winners in various races. We asked chair Marcee Stone-Vekich how they plan to handle this one; she says neither Braddock nor Herbold has confirmed with her so far. The 34th DDs made a dual endorsement of both candidates, dating back to the primary.

sam-c November 10, 2015 (3:59 pm)

Wow ! That’s close.

West Seattle since 1979 November 10, 2015 (4:05 pm)

Wow. Can’t remember any race being this close!

JVP November 10, 2015 (4:16 pm)

Wow that close, I’m pretty bummed that it looks like Herbold will overtake Braddock. As a liberal (by the rest of the country’s standards) Seattleite this town is making me feel like a bloody Republican as all the moderate D’s get pushed out by radicals.
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The last thing we need is more Sawant allies, but it looks like she’ll get one from here of all places. I’m appreciative of what she did to push $15 wages, but her other ideas are pretty nutty.
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I hope I’m wrong and Herbold doesn’t turn out to be a radical wingnut.

colleen November 10, 2015 (4:17 pm)

I’m sensing a trend.

Trickycoolj November 10, 2015 (4:20 pm)

Wow. When Election Eve snuck up on me and I hadn’t filled out my ballot I almost said why bother all the levies will pass, my vote won’t even matter. Then I heard my AP Government/US History teacher Mrs. Dittrich in my head and put my ballot in my purse and filled it out at lunch and took it to the van. This is why. Six whole votes. Maybe it will matter!

rw November 10, 2015 (4:21 pm)

Cliche time –> every vote really DOES count!

Word of the Day: WOW November 10, 2015 (4:41 pm)

They are two smart and capable women.

I supported one with a sign in my yard, but I will not be crushed if the other wins. The differences between them are overblown for the drama of the race, but they are both 34th District Democrats at the end of the day.

So, there ya’ go.

Northwest November 10, 2015 (4:41 pm)

My own ballot still uncounted.

skeeter November 10, 2015 (4:42 pm)

Unless this comes down to just one vote determining the winner then I wasted my time filling out the ballot. We’ll see.

LarryB November 10, 2015 (4:44 pm)

It’s looking like those hundreds of thousands of dollars in independent expenditures just weren’t enough to win the race for Braddock.

And Trickycoolj and RW are 100% right – it’s a civic duty to vote, and every vote does count.

Joe Szilagyi November 10, 2015 (4:51 pm)

If you ever say every vote doesn’t matter, and that encouraging your neighbors to vote doesn’t matter, you’re clinically insane.

Kimbee November 10, 2015 (4:57 pm)

yes people, goes to show every vote counts…what a cliff hanger!

Kathy November 10, 2015 (5:01 pm)

JVP, are you talking about Sawant’s nutty ideas or Herbold’s? If Herbold’s, what are they in your opinion? I must have missed those in the campaign and all the forums and meetings with the candidates.

tom November 10, 2015 (5:04 pm)

JVP, just wondering what wingnuttery you’re offended by? reducing her own paycheck to the avg worker’s (rather than 120k), and donating the difference to social justice funds? fighting for the middle class, our burgeoning homeless, gender pay equity? nutty yet? on the ground bringing attention to our local and global environmental crises? relieving the tax burden on those who need the most relief? where is the nut? i can’t find it.

Scubafrog November 10, 2015 (5:18 pm)

Yes, us Herbold supporters are SO “radical” JVP. *sigh*
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Close election! I think both candidates will represent us well. Surely this close of a margin will trigger an automatic recount?

chemist November 10, 2015 (5:30 pm)

Every vote counts, even that of someone who fills in ovals haphazardly. A thoroughly researched vote counts equally.

Build housing! November 10, 2015 (5:43 pm)

Nutty ideas = more development fees, restrictions on development, and rent control, which will all force up the cost of housing for renters while enriching those lucky enough to own homes already.

Interrobang November 10, 2015 (5:50 pm)

Wowee! I wish I were still an official resident of WS so I could have voted!

NotOnHolden November 10, 2015 (5:51 pm)

This is so exciting!

AMD November 10, 2015 (6:23 pm)

I think our district is lucky to have two strong, intelligent candidates who are committed to the district. It’s a great problem to have and I’m sure other districts wished they were in the same boat.

Jon November 10, 2015 (7:21 pm)

Well both my wife and my ballots have not been count so i know that seperation is only 4 votes. good luck Lisa.

Ivan November 10, 2015 (8:06 pm)

“Build housing”:
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Lisa has a 17-year record in city government of being a forceful advocate for renters. She does not advocate top-down rent control and never has. She thinks there are other devices that could be used to keep rents stable.
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Moreover, Lisa makes no apology for advocating for protections against economic displacement for both renters and homeowners.
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The economic forces in Seattle who want carte blanche for developers, and no restrictions on building whatever they want, wherever they want it, no matter what the effect on neighborhoods might be, threw everything they had at Lisa in an attempt to deny her a seat on the Council, and now they stand on the brink of defeat.
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There’s nothing “nutty” about Lisa’s ideas. She wants a city that works for everybody, and if she is elected, West Seattle and South Park will soon come to value her presence.

M November 10, 2015 (8:11 pm)

Does anyone remember whose name was first on the ballot? The only thing that I think could explain this comeback is that last minute voters potentially just filled in bubble for the first name on the ballet without even knowing anything about candidates.

patt November 10, 2015 (8:25 pm)

Your ballot tracker:-)

http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting/ballot-tracker.aspx

sc November 10, 2015 (8:51 pm)

@ Trickycoolj
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I also had a high school history teacher at Bishop Blanchet who told us “every vote matters”.
Thanks Sr. Margaret Ellen!

Jeannie November 10, 2015 (8:55 pm)

Will there be a recount?

WSB November 10, 2015 (9:04 pm)

Jeannie – Since this isn’t final yet, that decision isn’t final yet either. Certainly it’s well within the margin, and the trend would seem to indicate it’s likely to end in recount range.

Wb November 10, 2015 (8:56 pm)

re: every vote matters.

Try telling people that you vote 3rd party: then wait for it.

You’ll soon hear that your vote didn’t.

dsa November 10, 2015 (9:37 pm)

Our three Braddock votes have been verified and not counted.

Homedk November 10, 2015 (9:59 pm)

M: Not sure what has shaped your opinion that last minute voters are not as thoughtful as those who vote early (and often, if it were allowed). As someone who took my ballot to the van on the last day, I can tell you that I researched my votes, and also waited to see if there was any late-breaking information in the final run-up to the vote that might cause me to change my mind. I watched some of the debates, but was also influenced by those whose opinions I respect. One candidate (not necessarily in this race), lost my vote when they worked the crowd at a community event and didn’t seem at all engaged or sincere. My decision to not vote for them had nothing whatsoever to do with their placement on the ballot. My opinions about you also have no relation the order in which your comment appears in this thread. Just saying.

Robert November 10, 2015 (11:39 pm)

According to the ballot tracker they have received but not counted my vote, it’s been like this for awhile. I’m wondering does the tracker follow through to the end or just stop at the received stage. Has the tracker verified anyone’s vote as counted? Or are they all just verified as only received?

WSB November 10, 2015 (11:43 pm)

Hi, I mentioned that in the story. It stops at the ‘verified and will be counted’ stage. You don’t get a “has been counted” message.
WSB November 11, 2015 (12:08 am)

And don’t just take my word for it: Read this carefully to note the three stages at which your ballot can be tracked. Last one, after they verify your signature and that your ballot will be counted. http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting/ballotlifecycle.aspx

JanS November 10, 2015 (11:47 pm)

Skeeter? Seriously?

Build housing…let me tell ya….rents have already skyrocketed. I’m pretty sure Lisa Herbold had nothing to do with that, and that she would like to see it stop. What’s your beef?

JanS November 10, 2015 (11:50 pm)

OK….the editor has said in many articles that you will not get a “has been counted” message. Just that it’s been verified. Are you not reading the article completely? Is there something that I’m not seeing?

Three people in just this comment thread have mentioned that their votes have only been verified, but not counted. And you never will get one.

acemotel November 11, 2015 (12:09 am)

>>>>>>My opinions about you also have no relation the order in which your comment appears in this thread.
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ha ha ha ha

M November 11, 2015 (5:35 am)

I think one of the concerns many of us have with Lisa and the rest of the Sawant radical left is that they seem so fully consumed and distracted by city’s affordable housing issues. While I certainly indentify it as an issue that needs to be addressed, it is far from the ONLY issue we face in this city. Why would I want to vote for someone that only seems to care about and represent the “working class” while the middle class families are made to feel like we are “evil” and ruining the city?

If we truly want a city that is for everyone then we shouldn’t fill our city council with so many radicals that want to only drive this left agenda. We need balance and fair representation for everyone. Or we risk turning this city into the next Detroit where most can afford to live but no one would want to.

GOP in WS November 11, 2015 (8:19 am)

As a Republican in District 1, I did not vote for either candidate. I have no problem voting for a mainstream Democrat, but neither candidate represented that. There are a few thousand Republican votes in WS that I sure either candidate would love to have right now.

Wes C. Addle November 11, 2015 (8:37 am)

@M
Interested to see what you define as “working class” vs. “middle class”
To me, they are essentially the same.

Kay K November 11, 2015 (8:41 am)

Too bad we can’t have both of them. I think either will do a professional job for the district.

DW November 11, 2015 (8:57 am)

Middle Class seems to equal those who pay for programs for the “working class” :-)

Also struck by how renters seem to have become a protected class in this city.

Question Mark November 11, 2015 (9:54 am)

Anyone who thinks their vote doesn’t count ought to look at the voter turn-out between District 1 and District 2. District 2, at 40% turn-out is almost 3,000 votes short of the District 1 turn-out.

Could 3,000 votes make a difference in that council race? You betcha!

When one person chooses not to vote because they have accepted the message that their vote wouldn’t count anyway, it arguably has a minor effect on an election. When that attitude is shared by thousands, it has a major effect.

Clark5080 November 11, 2015 (10:14 am)

They have had our votes since the day before the election and still they are only verified but not counted

Ivan November 11, 2015 (10:25 am)

“M” says:
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“Why would I want to vote for someone that only seems to care about and represent the “working class” while the middle class families are made to feel like we are “evil” and ruining the city?
If we truly want a city that is for everyone then we shouldn’t fill our city council with so many radicals that want to only drive this left agenda.”
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That charge is baseless. During the campaign, Lisa put out position paper after position paper, on issue after issue, covering the widest imaginable range of subjects, all of which are found in one place right here:
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http://www.district1forherbold.com/blog/these-policy-initiatives
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So that part of your argument is not true. Neither is the other part of it. If you don’t own your business, you are just hired help, and therefore “working class,” no matter how much you make or how many nice things you own.
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During her campaign, Lisa was the easily identifiable champion of homeowners, because of her insistence that homeowners should not bear the brunt of the cost of development, solely through their increased property taxes. Lisa thinks developers should pay a greater share. We carried that message to people’s doors, and not one homeowner I spoke with took issue with it or tried to rebut it.
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If you think that’s a “left agenda,” go ahead and think so. I’d guess it’s a majority position. As for your suggestion that middle class families are made to feel “evil,” that is the purest nonsense.
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Finally, Lisa has not worked at City Hall, serving constituent requests and helping draft policy for 17 years, to fall in line behind Sawant’s leadership, as you suggest. Lisa has been doing her job there since before anyone heard of Sawant. Lisa is ready to step in and be a leader on the Council from Day One, and deliver the level of representation that West Seattle voters have become accustomed to. If anything, Sawant will be following her lead.

Diane November 11, 2015 (1:09 pm)

dear lord, does anyone read the story before commenting?
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it’s in the story (and for the zillionth time)
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“Note that “your ballot will be counted” is the last message you’ll get – there is not a “has been counted” status.)”
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there are 5 comments on here that “my vote has not yet been counted”; if your vote has been verified (THAT is important to check, NOW), there is no way to know if your vote has not been counted; it’s all anonymous after the ballots are verified
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read people, read; it’s in the story and several times in the comments; there is NO “has been counted” notice, ever

pjmanley November 11, 2015 (2:01 pm)

The election is over. I think we can stop campaigning. The count will be what it is.

Neighbor November 11, 2015 (2:59 pm)

@Ivan – you do a disservice to Lisa pretty much every time you comment and accuse constituents of “baseless” accusations, followed by references to those “position papers,” particularly when those position papers are pretty thin on facts. I think M raises good points – some of us are very concerned that Lisa has sided with the Mayor in his grand bargain to upzone certain neighborhoods and subject middle class homeowners in certain desirable neighborhoods adjacent to urban villages to the whims of developers. All in the name of affordability ONLY for those wage earners who meet certain very strict means tests that many middle class families do not meet. It is us middle class residents (owners and renters) who will potentially be displaced by affordable housing developments. Many of us are now terrified that anytime a neighbor goes to sell their house we’re going to end up with a 6 floor apartment building immediately next to us in what is now a single family zone. Or that our apartment building is going to be “upgraded” and our rents raised to fund certain pork projects like bike lanes and yet more affordable housing. As you said throughout the campaign, Lisa’s positions won’t appease everyone, and in this case many middle class residents stand to lose if, for example, the Junction Urban Village is expanded and developers start buying up single family homes and throwing up large apartment buildings as envisioned by the Mayor. Lisa stated in one debate that the Junction area in particular is at 300% of its growth projection and that other areas of West Seattle (Like Westwood Village) should be targeted for growth. I agree. So hopefully if Lisa (or Shannon) come to represent us middle class residents she will not allow that urban village to be expanded. In the meantime, you would do well to quit attacking concerns raised by potential constituents and Lisa would do well to actually hold constituent services if elected, rather than rely on your constantly dismissive statements on this blog.

Neighbor November 11, 2015 (3:07 pm)

@Ivan – also, regarding middle class families being made to feel “evil” – did you not hear how the mayor and his ilk spun affordable housing by linking single family zone residents to racism. During one debate, Lorena Gonzales refused to back down on the premise that the NIMBYs who like their single family homes are linked to racism when asked to comment on it by Bill Bradburd. Also, the moment some of us raised questions regarding accountability during this campaign we were accused of being NIMBYs by Transportation Choices, Cascade Bike Club, and other lobbyists. Hopefully as part their constituent services whomever wins will help us understand how those who want accountable leadership are somehow evil resident NIMBYs.

AIDM November 11, 2015 (11:03 pm)

When asked 7 questions by the Seattle Times for the voter’s guide Shannon Braddock mentioned West Seattle one time! Lisa Herbold mentioned West Seattle zero times! Candidates get a D- and F for representing West Seattle in my opinion. We need council members who will address West Seattle transportation issues ASAP rather than pander to the rest of Seattle.

Ivan November 12, 2015 (7:41 am)

Well, Neighbor, if you’re concerned about what Transportation Choices or the Cascade Bicycle Club think, I can’t help you. At this point I’ll take pjmanley’s advice to quit campaigning, and shut up. Thanks to everyone who voted.