ELECTION 2025: Where ballot measures stand, with most votes counted, plus other stats of interest

checkbox.jpgAfter four rounds of ballot counts, most of the votes cast in Tuesday’s special election have been tallied. King County Elections has received 38.5 percent of the ballots it sent out, and counted 35 percent. In the Seattle Public Schools levy-renewal votes, Prop 1, the operations levy, has 81 percent approval – up from 77 percent election night – while Prop 2, the BEX VI capital levy, has 75 percent approval, up from 71 on election night. On the City of Seattle multi-part measure about “social housing” funding, the first part – whether to fund it at all – has 72 percent approval, up from 68 percent on election night, while the second part has 1A, a new tax for companies with $1m-plus earners, getting 62 percent approval, up from 57 percent on election night.

Other stats of interest are viewable via the ballot return statistics, which are spread across 12 pages, not just the return stats. Page 5, for example, shows via a shaded map which precincts had the highest turnout (we found 34-1465 west of The Junction with 53 percent of ballots in so far; page 3 shows that 52 percent of ballots have come in via drop boxes and 48 percent via USPS Mail; page 8 shows that the West Seattle Junction drop box is the fourth busiest in the city (surpassed only by Ballard, Seattle Central College on Capitol Hill, and Green Lake).

The February election results will be finalized and certified on Friday (February 21).

20 Replies to "ELECTION 2025: Where ballot measures stand, with most votes counted, plus other stats of interest"

  • Jort February 17, 2025 (12:14 am)

    Rob Saka, a former corporate lawyer for Mark Zuckerberg’s Trump-supporting Meta might want to pause from spouting double-speak for a while and perhaps reflect on what side of the electorate he might find himself in a few short years (if not sooner, based on his nakedly self-serving actions on the council.) Or, as always, perhaps he will choose to continue talking down to his constituents and tell all of us that we are too stupid to see what he’s doing with our own human eyes. Oh, and signing his name with “Esq.” at the end. Also super awesome. Definitely keep that up. These election results are an absolute BLOWOUT.

    • SlimJim February 17, 2025 (8:50 am)

      Yeah, they are a blowout. Believe it ot not though, it is possible to vote no on some of these issues without being a Trumpist, or even a  conservative. The world isn’t as black and white as the current political atmosphere has us all thinking and casting everyone as either “for” or “against” us is unhealthy. I’m capable of making choices on election day without feeling locked in to any role others think that vote has put me in. Time to be an individual or you may end up being either one of the “Blue” or the “Gray”.

      • DC February 17, 2025 (12:00 pm)

        I hear you slimjim. There are some serious discussions to be had about how Seattle and the State levy taxes. I was actually considering voting against Prop 1A. That is, until the conservative council put forward a cynical, misleading alternative that barred the Social Housing Developer from actually building *social housing* (forcing them to build *affordable housing*, a technical term that is completely different than social housing) and would steal existing funds dedicated to affordable housing to fund it. If you want to put forward a reasonable alternative palatable to a majority progressive city, you need engage in real conversations and make meaningful compromise.

        • The King February 17, 2025 (6:20 pm)

          There’s going to come a time in the coming decade where I won’t be able to afford these taxes. I won’t become homeless, not going to “fight to the bitter end” or any of that. I’ll just move to where I can afford life. What a concept 

          • Bbron February 17, 2025 (9:40 pm)

            The tax rate from levies has not increased and has decreased over time. Blame the market which your asset has greatly increased in value from.

          • The King February 18, 2025 (4:05 am)

            Property taxes are not a one to one based on value alone. Mill rates are variable as connected to levies. Which is why you’ll see some property values lower and taxes actually increase and vice versa. 

  • Derek February 17, 2025 (6:32 am)

    I’m beyond ecstatic. House Our Neighbors put in so much work on this. This is such a good day for Seattle! 

  • Canton February 17, 2025 (7:52 am)

    Sorry, us republicans don’t claim Saka. Democrats have failed us for DECADES… You have to have your head in the sand, if you think the failed decades of democratic leadership has done anything positive for our community. Insanity, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results…

    • Jort February 17, 2025 (10:38 am)

      Anything positive? ANYTHING? Assuming you own a home, Canton, how much have your property values increased in Seattle in the last 30 years? Question: what city is and was home to the world’s largest online retailer? Hmm? Anything positive?

      • Scarlett February 17, 2025 (12:47 pm)

        I laugh when Seattleites – like you, Jort – glow with pride that union busting Amazon is based in their town.  The PNW “homerism” is something to behold.  

      • Jethro Marx February 17, 2025 (1:54 pm)

        Getting mixed up here, Jort: working for Meta in the past is some kind of “I’m a secret fascist” shibboleth but Amazon is a positive force in Seattle? 

        Maybe we should all accept the reality that politicians will not bring us into the glorious future they describe as they’re trying to get elected but will descend into a whorl of empty promises, inept committees, and a seasonal chase after reelection monies. 

        Side note: my favorite thing the Democrats in Seattle did in my time here was promise to end homelessness in 10 years.  I was young then and ready to believe they would take action.

        • Jort February 17, 2025 (3:16 pm)

          Oh, I will not disagree with you regarding the very good debate about relative merits of Amazon’s explosive growth on our city, but I think it’s a good reminder that our so-called socialist, rabid left-wing communist city governance was, in fact, running the show when Amazon became a global behemoth, right here in our very fine city. (Something also tells me that the political movement which has a fanatical, religious devotion to capitalistic growth,  conservatism, wouldn’t exactly have slowed down Amazon, either.) What I do dislike is silly, totalizing statements that literally nothing positive has happened in Seattle for decades because of Democrats. Give me a break. 

          • Canton February 17, 2025 (7:07 pm)

            Can you answer these 3 questions Jort? How have they solved homelessness, when it’s getting more profound and just creating NGO jobs with no accountability? How have they solved housing affordability, when all they’re building is market rate apartments and million dollar townhomes? How have they solved crime, when liberal judges just slap wrists and release?

          • Jort February 17, 2025 (10:15 pm)

            Canton, when did we start talking about “solving crime” and “NGO jobs?”  I’m not talking about “market rate apartments.” I’m talking about what you said. Earlier, you said: “You have to have your head in the sand, if you think the failed decades of democratic leadership has done anything positive for our community.” I’m simply taking issue with this characterization that the council hasn’t done anything positive for our city for the last few decades. You used this totalizing, declarative blanket statement. Nobody’s taking about NGO’s. I’m not answering your questions. 

  • WS Urbanist February 17, 2025 (9:28 am)

    The passage of Prop 1A, which *actually* funds social housing in Seattle, serves as a clear referendum on the current “something more moderate-leaning” Seattle City Council. This vote demonstrates that Seattle residents are eager for more progressive housing solutions, even if they’re not always represented by the council’s decisions. The strong support for social housing shows that the ‘NIMBY’ perspective isn’t the ‘silent majority’ Cathy Moore and others claim it to be. Instead, it reveals that many Seattleites are willing to invest in addressing our housing challenges through innovative, progressive approaches. I hope this momentum continues with the council voting for alternative 5 of the one seattle plan (one can dream).

    • Jacob February 17, 2025 (12:39 pm)

      Agree. Renters will always outnumber homeowners too. Just like the working class outnumbers the business class. It’s time to stop voting in favor of the class that betrays you. 

  • HTB February 17, 2025 (4:52 pm)

    Amazon up and moved 25k employees to Bellevue when the Head Tax passed. I would expect something similar to happen now. Seattle was gifted status as a tech powerhouse and we are determined to kill the golden goose through social engineering. It’s pretty simple, we should not have to have government or citizen intervention to redistribute the pie. If we cultivate business – especially tech firms – the pie will automatically grow for everyone making housing and other social compact initiatives obsolete.Trust the system. Trust the market. It’s served Seattle well in the past and can do so again!

    • Ivan Weiss February 17, 2025 (7:10 pm)

      “It’s pretty simple, we should not have to have government or citizen intervention to redistribute the pie.”

      Thanks for your input, Elon. Or is that King George?

    • Bbron February 17, 2025 (9:38 pm)

      The market that let’s people starve or die of preventable sickness to ensure shareholder value? Nah, I don’t trust or worship that which works against my self interests.

    • Scarlett February 18, 2025 (7:51 am)

      HTB:  Did you know that the federal subsidized housing that sprang up in Seattle (and elsewhere) in the 30’s and 40’s to address a critical shortage, such as the Yesler Terrace, housed many coming to work at Boeing, that shining example of American “private enterprise?”  The free markets have never, anywhere, produced solutions to address the lower economic rungs of society; its a nice textbook we’d all like to believe but it doesn’t work in real life. 

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