ELECTION DAY: Four tax votes on your ballot – vote by tonight

Before we get to the rest of what’s up for today and tonight, one more reminder – it’s Election Day, the deadline for you to vote on two Seattle Public Schools levies and a two-part City of Seattle measure on how, or whether, to pay for “social housing.”

The school levies are the 6-year, $1.8 billion Building Excellence Capital Levy (BEX VI for short) and the 3-year, $750 million Educational Programs and Operations Levy. How their approval would affect property taxes is explained by the district on this page – it’s somewhat complex, depending on whether the Legislature allows the district to collect more than the current limit.

The two-part city measure first asks you whether funding should be approved for the (created after approval in a previous election) Seattle Social Housing Developer, and regardless of whether you vote yes or no on that, which type of funding it should get if funded – a new tax on companies with wealthy employees, or diversion of part of an existing payroll tax.

You probably know how this next part goes – get your ballot into a King County drop box (West Seattle has four) by 8 pm, or get it into USPS mail really early in the day to ensure it’ll have today’s postmark. As of early this morning, King County Elections had received only 20 percent of Seattle ballots.

Jake February 11, 2025 (9:29 am)

Voted YES on all and 1A.

mrgeneswart February 11, 2025 (9:45 am)

Vote no. Stop wasting our money and raising rents and house payments. Enough!

Chuck Jacobs February 11, 2025 (10:09 am)

Seattle voters approved a $970 million housing levy in November of 2023. Now they want more?

WSB February 11, 2025 (10:35 am)

The Social Housing Developer might get money from the Housing Levy, if it applies as do other developers. Otherwise, it’s looking for a dedicated source of funding, since that was not legally allowed to be part of the vote creating it.

Annoyed voter February 11, 2025 (10:20 am)

For 15 years I voted yes to all these levies. I’m done. Every levy gets bigger and bigger and it’s more than time to manage our expenses better. I was very annoyed when SPS chose not to save money by closing any schools last year. Enrollment is down. Some estimates show SPS enrollment decreasing another 10% through 2034. The time is NOW to say NO and have SPS make the tough choices that align with their decreased enrollment and funding!

oerthehillz February 11, 2025 (10:34 am)

Same!
- Maria February 11, 2025 (11:12 am)
  
  Same….and I don’t even own a house. Voted for practically every levy over the last 20 years. No more.
Erik February 11, 2025 (4:01 pm)

Same here. If they don’t want to do the finally responsible thing, even if it’s not popular and painful, they don’t get to come back asking for huge amounts of money. I voted no on that one.
- Josh February 11, 2025 (6:49 pm)
  
  Vote yes. Important things are worth spending on. Our kids deserve better than they get. I empty the garbages in every classroom (except kindergarten where they are emptied every day) at my kids school because there is not enough money to pay for a full time evening janitor. The water there is undrinkable. Voting no on these levies will just make your and your neighbors lives less livable.
  - Skeptical February 14, 2025 (8:29 pm)
    
    I find your statement hard to believe. Undrinkable water?? You make it sound like we live in the most impoverished part of the rust belt. SPS can definitely hire an extra janitor. They have billions raised from levies
Look Both Ways February 11, 2025 (6:17 pm)

100%

NoMoreTaxes February 11, 2025 (10:22 am)

Simply can’t afford these taxes. NO!

Vote wisely February 11, 2025 (10:29 am)

Just some info for thought while voting today. Here’s a chart that shows how property taxes were distributed in 2024 (for a house within the City of Seattle). It shows we currently have a total of 48.2% overall going to schools. I think a pencil sharpening should be in order before we vote to give even more money. Our kids and teachers need more help, and the $$ just don’t seem to trickle down that far.Chart from Zillow.Com

WSB February 11, 2025 (10:34 am)

You can actually get the chart directly from the source from your online tax bill in King County Parcel Viewer. That might be Zillow’s source too but when in doubt, go firsthand.
Build baby build February 11, 2025 (12:59 pm)

Another answer is to build more housing so we have more tax revenues rather than going to the same people again and again and again.

SPS Waste February 11, 2025 (11:34 am)

I work for SPS facilities and voted no on all levies! The amount of waste I see at the district is astonishing, maybe cut some non essential staff down at the glass palace in Sodo, didn’t the superintendent just get a 400,000 dollar raise? Maybe use some of those funds or close schools due to declining enrollment, I know it sucks for those families, but you can’t make everyone happy and tough choices need to be made instead of asking taxpayers for more and more money…

Alki Parent February 11, 2025 (11:57 pm)

Do you not consider that your job might be the one viewed as expendable if the levies didn’t pass?
Informed helps February 12, 2025 (10:01 am)

It was a $25,000 a year increase to the superintendent’s salary. Let’s not add to the misinformation.I don’t agree he should have received that, but let’s be sure to stay informed and not add to the misinformed hyperbole.Regarding the other ballot measure, the housing levy will only tax the wealthiest in the city. If you’re voting no because you can’t afford higher taxes, you’re misinformed. It’s my hutch that those who “aren’t voting for higher taxes” didn’t even vote. If they had, they would have read the ballot.Can we look at the wealth disparities in this city? It’s out of control.

Jake February 11, 2025 (11:41 am)

Typical Seattle Voter: OMG HOMELESS EVERYWHERE. VOTE NO ON HOUSING THEM!

Alki resident February 11, 2025 (11:45 am)

It’s not our responsibility to keep working to pay for everything in this state. Tax payers can only afford so much before they’re on the streets too. Washington taxes you do death. It’s a big NO for many of us
- CapitalWon February 11, 2025 (12:51 pm)
  
  It absolutely is your responsibility as a member of a society. Full stop.
  - The King February 11, 2025 (6:32 pm)
    
    Nope. I work until May before I even get to pay myself according to my tax forms. The state keeps kicking the idea around to raise the property tax cap across the board. Their frenzy has to be told no
- Jake February 11, 2025 (1:21 pm)
  
  Any society just letting people be unhoused shouldn’t exist
  - Niko February 11, 2025 (7:33 pm)
    
    Then you donate your salary. My taxes are high enough
- Bbron February 12, 2025 (5:42 pm)
  
  Washington, with no income tax and the 43rd highest effective tax rate, is taxing people to death? literally acting out the idea of: “if all you know is privilege, [less privilege, no matter how slight] will feel like oppression”.
Darren February 11, 2025 (11:55 am)

Because voting yes in previous decades has had the opposite effect. I hope no is the outcome but I kind of doubt it.
CarDriver February 11, 2025 (2:12 pm)

Jake. I am NOT responsible for their bad decisions and complete lack of accountability.
Mike February 11, 2025 (8:20 pm)

People here keep handing money to the same snake oil sales people. The snake oil biz is highly profitable in West Coast cities.

Scarlett February 11, 2025 (12:13 pm)

The public is getting squeezed financially from both sides and I’m voting no on all new levies. As far as the Bex VI, I’m dubious that these capital improvements are really necesary and wonder if this is largely benefiting the construction and trades industry, and less so the students. A society runs on trust that people – politicians, bureaucrats, presidents, your next door neighbor – will do the right thing, but the Age of Trust is over.

k February 11, 2025 (1:48 pm)

Man, why all the hate for construction workers? Tradesmen need to make a living too. Jobs are good, even when they’re blue collar. Bad message to send to the kids, that their work is only valid if they go to work for Amazon or Microsoft. Also want to point out that it doesn’t have to be about trust; it’s school tour season and you can walk right into one of those tours and see for yourself the disrepair that some of our schools are in. Without capital improvements, schools like Sanislo will have to close purely because the building can no longer meet public health codes.
- Scarlett February 11, 2025 (3:22 pm)
  
  No hate, K, but I’m not subsidizing someone else’s paycheck for more unnecessary infrastructure, “sparkling” schools with every gizmo but little of it trickling down to a real education for students and for me that means independence of thought. The schools I went to had a few dings and dents but it didn’t detract from kid’s education.
- M February 11, 2025 (7:30 pm)
  
  I don’t get it either. People act like the most pious volunteers built all structures prior to 2000, and everything after was built by war criminals.
wscommuter February 11, 2025 (3:14 pm)

“I’m dubious that these capital investments are really necessary …” Your skepticism comes from touring these facilities and having an engineering/construction background that informs your opinion? If so, I’m all ears. Because otherwise, you’re just another uninformed ranter bent on expressing your particular political bias – which is fine – your right to do so … just no reason to take your comment seriously.
Bbron February 12, 2025 (5:46 pm)

when was this “Age of Trust” happening? kinda smells like MAGA rose tinted glasses.

North admiral February 11, 2025 (12:26 pm)

Vote no. It’ll pass anyways. I think in the 30 years I’ve lived here not a single measure raising taxes has failed to pass. And we all know things have just gotten better and better as taxes go up.

Skeptical February 14, 2025 (8:39 pm)

I think the people voting yes are homeowners and parents. Yes they may have to pay more but so do other single people and renters. And all that money collected benefits the homeowner and their children. So they are literally voting what other people should pay

Dr Wu February 11, 2025 (12:39 pm)

The same folks who complain about Seattle’s high cost of living will vote for another tax. One person’s investment is another person’s pay cut.

K February 11, 2025 (12:47 pm)

Easy yes to all the levies. I know the feds think we can live without essential services, or that they can survive without funding, but we’d like to see Seattle continue to be a functioning society for at least a few more years.

sf February 11, 2025 (1:33 pm)

I voted the way I voted because

1) Rationalization #1

2) Rationalization #2

You should vote exactly like I did because we are all convinced on how to vote not from news sources or community meetings but from message boards and social media.

Scarlett February 11, 2025 (3:38 pm)

No one here is laboring under the delusion that they can change anyone’s vote.
Russell February 11, 2025 (5:52 pm)

I agree with [insert rationalization #1], however your point on [insert rationalization #2] is a little shakey. Side note, this made me laugh, thank you.

Sorry, comment time is over.