Before the results start coming in tonight, we’ll be roaming to cover Election Day scenes in West Seattle. First, we went to the Fauntleroy overpass, to check on sign-waving. Don’t know if others were there earlier, but at 8:30 am, we found one sign-waver: Chris Porter, with an Approve Referendum 74 sign.

P.S. Still haven’t sent in your ballot yet? The King County ballot-dropoff van is at West Seattle Stadium till 8 pm – no stamps necessary. Turn off 35th SW just south of Avalon.

So far, we know of Election Night parties tomorrow at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), Skylark Café and Club, and OutWest Bar. Anybody else? Or – how about Election Night specials? Pegasus Pizza on Alki is offering pizzas buy one/get one (of equal or lesser value) free on Election Night, either takeout or dine-in. Anybody else – party and/or specials? Let us know – editor@westseattleblog.com – ASAP so we can add it to our list. (And if you haven’t already, GO VOTE!)

The staff of the King County Elections ballot-dropoff van at West Seattle Stadium (wearing orange aprons) has had a busy day already. Not only have dozens of ballots been dropped off …

… but as you can see in the top photo, they also have had a visit from their boss, County Elections Director Sherril Huff (at right in the photo above) and King County Executive Dow Constantine. He and Huff summoned media to the dropoff van to use it as a backdrop for a two-part warning: First, they warned, they strongly urge voters to only use the U.S. Mail or King County Elections facilities (dropboxes, vans, etc.) to get their ballot in. Second, they warned, if anyone takes a ballot from someone else and does not get it to the county – that’s a crime.

While they were careful not to accuse anyone of wrongdoing, they also acknowledged this comes in the wake of the King County Republican Party announcing it will have its own ballot-dropoff vans in some areas, and word that there may be some door-to-door ballot-collection efforts going on (the county does NOT have anyone doing that). The GOP has said it is trying to help in areas of the county where there are no dropboxes or vans. We and other media asked the county officials today if they would be re-evaluating their policies regarding placement of those boxes and vans; Huff said no. Meantime, in West Seattle, the county van will be at the stadium till 5 pm today, again 10 am-5 pm tomorrow, and 7 am-8 pm on Tuesday (Election Day). Huff warned that post offices do not routinely postmark late at night, so if you are waiting till the last minute, don’t expect you can put your ballot in a mailbox Tuesday night and have it count.

ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: In case you’re interested – our unedited video of today’s event:

Find the list of county dropoff boxes/vans by going here.

Since it’s already Election Day Eve Eve, we’re building a list of Election Night watch parties in this area – not just “we’ll have it on the TV in the background,” but places that are all-out marketing the events as viewing parties and will have the sound up at least for the big moments. So far, we have Skylark Café and Club in North Delridge (which had a packed party in 2008); Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction; which has a brand-new bigscreen; and OutWest Bar between Alaska and Morgan Junctions. Where else in West Seattle, White Center, South Park? Please let us know in comments here, or via e-mail (editor@westseattleblog.com).

We’re going to nag you – or, at least, gently remind you – every day: Dropped off (or mailed) your ballot yet? Today’s image of the dropoff-van team at West Seattle Stadium is courtesy of Admiral photographer David Perry. You can catch them there – drive up, ride up, walk up – till 5 pm today, then again 10 am-5 pm Sunday and Monday, and 7 am-8 pm Tuesday (at which time the voting ends and ballot-tallying begins).

At midmorning, we were at Uptown Espresso in The Junction for an informal meeting that had nothing to do with politics, when suddenly we heard a group at the big central table break out in applause, as a voice loudly thanked them. Turning around, we saw Democratic candidate for governor Jay Inslee standing by the table as he began a short speech to those gathered. From what he said, as well as the campaign signs on the table, it was clear the group was getting ready to go out and doorbell. He only stayed a few minutes, but told them he thinks it’ll be a close election – “maybe 150 votes” – and answered a couple questions, one about job creation, one about disaster preparedness in the wake of Superstorm Sandy (in his view, earthquake preparedness matters most here). (Without a camera handy, we rolled iPhone video, and will check it later to see if there’s anything to add here.) Then, Inslee said, he was off to Tacoma and Olympia.

In the first two hours of the first of five West Seattle days for a King County ballot-dropoff van, about 60 ballots already had come in, according to the team at the van today – Skyler, Cindi, and Kayleigh. They are in the same spot as last time – along the West Seattle Stadium driveway (enter off northbound 35th, shortly before Avalon) – and will be there till 5 today and again 10 am-5 pm tomorrow through Monday, then 7 am-8 pm on Election Day (Tuesday). You can drive up and hand them your ballot, or park, walk up, and put it in the box yourself. They say the pace so far today was much busier than the first day they were here before the August primary. If you want to drop off a ballot somewhere else – close to where you work, for example – here’s the full list countywide.

Separate from the statewide initiative before voters in Tuesday’s election regarding marijuana regulation, the City of Seattle is pursuing a zoning measure that would give the city more regulatory tools regarding medical-marijuana businesses. If you want to hear more about it and/or have questions – be at next Wednesday’s Southwest District Council meeting (7 pm November 7th at the South Seattle Community College [WSB sponsor] board room) – City Council President Sally Clark and Councilmember Nick Licata are scheduled to be there for Q/A on the proposal – detailed on this city webpage.

If you can spare a few minutes, and you haven’t already filled out the city’s survey about budget priorities – they note via Twitter that it closes at 5 pm and they would love to hear from more people before they make the final decisions in the next few weeks. You can take the survey here.

With eight days till the official nationwide Election Day (though voting-by-mail has been under way for a week and a half), three notes today:

DEADLINE REMINDER: In case you missed this in today’s daily preview, last chance to register to vote if you aren’t already registered in this state – get yourself to these locations downtown or in Renton by 4:30!

STUDENT MOCK ELECTION: When results of a national student “mock election” for president come out next Monday, they’ll include results from voting tomorrow right here in West Seattle, as announced by Chief Sealth International High School teacher Noah Zeichner:

Students and teachers at Chief Sealth International High School will be taking part in a national mock election on Tuesday, October 30th. Students will use a state-of-the art online voting system as they participate in a mock election program sponsored by the Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI), a national civic education program based at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. With approximately one million students expected to vote nationwide during the two-week voting period from October 22-November 1, the YLI Mock Election is the largest secure, student-only online mock election in the nation. Results of the YLI National Mock Election will be available the morning of Monday, November 5, 2012.

BALLOT DROPOFF VAN: Still no dropoff box in West Seattle – but the county will bring back its dropoff van starting this Friday, same spot as the primary, southwest side of the West Seattle Stadium parking lot. 10 am-5 pm Friday-Monday (November 2-5), you’ll find it there, and 7 am-8 pm on Election Day (Tuesday 11/6).

Today’s the day King County Elections is mailing ballots for the November 6th election, which includes the first presidential vote since the county switched to voting by mail, so you might be able to vote as soon as tomorrow. You might already have received a state Voters’ Pamphlet (ours arrived yesterday) – that’s one of two guides you’ll be getting. And if you would rather not put your ballot in the mail, the dropoff van will be back at West Seattle Stadium November 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th. More details on all of the above – and other important voting details – in the county news release ahead:Read More

Don’t let the chance to vote for president, governor, and big ballot measures – marriage equality, taxation, charter schools, marijuana among them – pass you by. TOMORROW is the deadline for registering online to vote – or going online to update your information; the mail-in deadline is already past. Here’s where to start; here’s the King County voter-registration-info page.

Fall is when the City Council goes through the city budget, taking a look at what the mayor has proposed, taking citizen comment, and coming up with final proposals. For an inside look at how the decisions are made and how best to let councilmembers know what you think, join the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce for lunch this Wednesday at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW, 11:30 am, to hear from – and talk with – this year’s Budget Committee chair, Councilmember Tim Burgess. You don’t need to be a Chamber member to go; you do need to RSVP, here.

Though the election is just a month away – and voting by mail starts in just a few weeks – there have been few discussion forums in West Seattle, despite the prevalence of hot topics. Just got one announcement, though: A forum with presentations and Q/A regarding marijuana-legalization Initiative 502 is set for 5:30-7:30 pm October 18th at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW). On the pro-legalization side will be University of Washington professor emeritus and substance-abuse counselor Roger Roffman; on the anti-legalization side, Steve Freng, who works with the Northwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. All welcome.

Right now, there is one West Seattle resident on the Seattle City Council – Tom Rasmussen. However, he, like each of the other 8 councilmembers, represents the entire city – since they all are elected “at large.” Every so often, a proposal to change that comes up, and a new one is to be unveiled tomorrow: Seattle Districts Now plans a media event Thursday morning in the U-District to formally announce its campaign, which it says already has the support of 90 “community leaders” citywide. Its proposed city-charter amendment – which would require about 31,000 signatures to get before voters next year – would create seven districts, each electing one representative, and two at-large members. Our partners at The Seattle Times have drawn up a map of the proposed districts; all of West Seattle would comprise one district.

2:05 PM: Click “play” and you’ll see live video from City Hall, where Mayor McGinn is presenting his 2013 budget to the Seattle City Council. We’ll be reading the fine print as fast as we can and adding links and text highlights as we go.

2:15 PM: He is still presenting an overview, including touting the renewal in development: “When we took office, there were no cranes, and we see cranes again, dotting the skyline … (for) thousands of apartments,” the mayor said. That will mean new jobs at the Department of Planning and Development, according to a preview by our partners at The Seattle Times. We’re checking to be sure that this 763-page document linked from the city budget page is THE official proposal from the mayor.

2:24 PM: From that document, a note about park maintenance:

s. In response to 2011 budget reductions, Parks reduced the parks resources crews responsible for basic grounds maintenance activities such as litter control, mowing, trimming, and leaf removal in parks throughout the city. The reductions have made it challenging to maintain service levels, primarily during peak season. This additional funding will allow for a partial restoration of the grounds maintenance activities that were previously cut. The appearance, safety, and cleanliness of parks will improve with increased attention to litter control, mowing and trimming, and leaf removal.

Also of note from the Parks proposal, since West Seattle is home to two city pools:

The Department will increase swimming pool fees to generate additional revenues. Most of the fee increases are very modest. There are four categories of fees that will be increased, including: recreational swimming fees (family swim, lap swim, public swim, and adult swim); swim lesson fees (pre-registration group, Summer Swim League and personal instruction for all ages); fitness class fees (various water exercise classes and masters swimming); and pool rentals – swim team rental fees (ongoing rentals to teams serving youth and adults). The last swimming pool fee increase in these categories was in 2011.

(Later in the document, the fee increases are described: “Most of the fee increases are very modest, ranging from $.50 for recreational swimming, lessons, and fitness classes to $2 for private lessons. The biggest changes include a $10 increase on swimming lessons for summer swim leagues and a 20% increase on rentals.” The mayor had previously announced a plan to add 10 hours a week to community centers that serve at-risk youth, including Delridge and South Park.

2:35 PM: The mayor is talking about transportation improvements in certain corridors. Didn’t hear West Seattle mentioned. We’re still reading the full budget document linked above and will be checking the transportation section closely (excerpts so far, above, are from the Parks section). If you’d like to see PowerPoints and the speech draft, it’s all linked here.

2:47 PM: The mayor’s speech is over but the meeting continues – with public comment, focused on the upcoming sports-arena vote.

3:23 PM: The council is still discussing the arena proposal. Councilmember Richard Conlin says he’ll vote against it. (At 3:30 pm) Councilmember Nick Licata said he will too.

4:15 PM: The council meeting is over; the arena plan passed, as did the Morgan Junction parkland-related proposal we’ve been following. We’ll add the archived video in place of the previous “live” video box above, when it’s available.

(Theft victim’s car in tow-company lot, marked “NIDDLES (needles) … BIOHAZARD”)
Just in from the City Council – a news release announcing that the proposal to limit fees in cases of “involuntary towing” has passed a committee vote and is headed for the full council next week. We reported on the proposal earlier this month. We incluided the proposal with the story of a West Seattle woman who first lost her car (above) to theft and then had to sign it over to a towing company because she couldn’t afford the fees that had amassed since it was found and towed without prompt notification. Read on for the council announcement:Read More