The primary is over. Here’s what Washington voters will decide in November

Washington’s August Primary Election narrowed crowded fields across the state. Now the choices voters will face in November are coming into focus.

The biggest statewide story may not be a race for Congress or the Legislature. It is the Washington Supreme Court.

Voters will choose five of the court’s nine justices this November, an unusually large share of the state’s highest court in a single election. Four of those races appeared on primary ballots, while a fifth — Position 4 — had only two candidates and therefore advanced directly to the general election under Washington’s rules for nonpartisan races.

That could make the judicial contests especially consequential. The State Supreme Court has the final word on questions involving the state constitution and state law, and the next court could hear major disputes over taxes, public safety, civil rights and the powers of state government. A legal challenge to Washington’s new 9.9% tax on annual individual income over $1 million is also expected to eventually reach the court.

The primary results remain unofficial until the state completes certification, but the November Supreme Court matchups are now clear.

Position 1: Justice Colleen Melody will face longtime Seattle tax attorney Scott Edwards. Melody, who was appointed by Gov. Bob Ferguson after Justice Mary Yu retired, finished first with roughly 53% of the primary vote. Edwards took about 29%, ahead of Laura Christensen Colberg. Before joining the court, Melody spent 11 years leading the Civil Rights Division of the Washington Attorney General’s Office.

Position 3: Mason County Superior Court Judge David Stevens and King County Superior Court Judge Jaime Hawk will compete for an open seat being vacated by retiring Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis. This was the closest Supreme Court primary: Stevens led with about 35%, Hawk had roughly 33% and Court of Appeals Judge Michael Diaz finished narrowly behind at about 32%.

The contrast in Position 3 could make it one of the more closely watched judicial races this fall. Stevens has openly criticized several  decisions and rule changes by the current Supreme Court and has said judges should focus on the text of the state constitution rather than the policy consequences of their decisions. Hawk previously worked as an attorney for the ACLU and was appointed to King County Superior Court by former Gov. Jay Inslee in 2022.

Position 4: Court of Appeals Judge Ian Birk will face King County Superior Court Judge Sean O’Donnell. Neither appeared on the August ballot because they were the only two candidates who filed for the seat, which is opening with the mandated retirement of longtime Justice Charles Johnson. Both automatically advanced to November.

Position 5: Justice Theo Angelis will face retired Federal Way Municipal Court Judge Dave Larson. Angelis, another Ferguson appointee who joined the court this year following Justice Barbara Madsen’s retirement, led the primary with about 36% of the vote. Larson followed with roughly 32%, ahead of Thurston County Superior Court Judge Sharonda Amamilo and attorney Greg Miller.

Position 7: Chief Justice Debra Stephens will face attorney Todd Bloom. Stephens, the longest-serving justice on the ballot this year, received about 55% of the primary vote. Bloom finished second with roughly 27%, advancing over Karim Merchant and David Shelvey.

Future 42 highlighted several Supreme Court candidates before the primary — four advanced and will now appear on the November ballot.

The Supreme Court races are not the only contests worth watching.

In southwest Washington’s closely watched 3rd Congressional District, incumbent Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican state Sen. John Braun advanced to the general election. Braun held a narrow lead in the primary vote, with about 40% compared with roughly 37% for Gluesenkamp Perez, while Democratic challenger Brent Hennrich received about 17%. The district is expected to once again be among the country’s competitive U.S. House races this fall.

Central Washington will also elect a new member of Congress. With Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse not seeking another term in the 4th Congressional District, Republican Amanda McKinney and Democrat John Duresky emerged from a crowded primary and will face each other in November.

Voters will also decide three statewide initiatives.

IL26-001 concerns parental rights in public schools. It would repeal recent amendments made to the state’s parental-rights law by the legislature and restore the law to the version originally enacted through Initiative 2081, including provisions involving access to educational materials and student records, notifications and the ability to opt students out of certain activities.

IL26-638 concerns participation in K-12 athletics. It would prohibit students the initiative defines as “biologically male” from participating in certain female-only school athletic activities and require students participating in those activities to provide health-care-provider verification of biological sex.

IP26-645 concerns state and local taxes. It would repeal Washington’s 9.9% tax on annual individual income over $1 million and prohibit state and local governments from imposing taxes on individual income, the receipt of individual income or taxes measured by individual income.

All of those decisions will come quickly.

Washington’s general-election voting period begins October 16, when counties begin mailing ballots. Online and mail voter-registration updates must be received by October 26, although eligible residents can still register or update their registration in person through Election Day.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Ballots returned through an official drop box must be deposited by 8 p.m. that night. Ballots returned by mail can arrive afterward as long as they are postmarked no later than November 3; the Secretary of State notes that the Postal Service recommends mailing ballots more than a week before Election Day to ensure a timely postmark.

The Primary did not settle our state’s biggest political and legal questions. It clarified who — and what — voters will choose between when ballots arrive in October.

And with five Supreme Court seats, control of key legislative districts, one of the country’s closely watched congressional races and three statewide initiatives on the ballot,  voters will have no shortage of consequential decisions to make this November.