It’s Election Day 2020 and we’ll be updating information from across Washington state here.

State results at a glance

GOVERNOR

Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee won a third term in Washington state, beating Republican challenger Loren Culp, the Associated Press reported. Inslee is the first incumbent elected to a third term in the state in more than 40 years. The last three-term governor in Washington was Republican Gov. Dan Evans, who served from 1965 until 1977.

Culp, police chief of the small town of Republic, campaigned in part against Inslee’s coronavirus restrictions such as mandatory masks, saying they infringe on people’s constitutional rights.

PRESIDENT

Democrat Joe Biden won Washington state’s 12 electoral votes in the race for president. Washington hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan carried the state in 1984.

U.S. HOUSE

▪ In the 10th District, which includes the south Puget Sound, the next representative district will be a Democratic woman. Former Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland would be the first Black member of the state’s congressional delegation, and the first Korean American woman elected to Congress in the country.

State Rep. Beth Doglio, who identifies as bisexual, would be the first LGTBQ member of the Washington delegation. Strickland and Doglio emerged from the state’s top-two primary in August, which drew 19 candidates after Democratic U.S. Rep. Denny Heck announced late last year that he would retire at the end of his current two-year term.

Strickland was ahead with 50% of the votes counted Tuesday evening. Doglio had 36%. More coverage here.

▪ In the 8th District, which stretches from Seattle’s far eastern suburbs into central Washington, Democrats are trying to hold on to a seat they just picked up for the first time in 2018. After an expensive, close 2018 campaign, Kim Schrier, a pediatrician, became the first Democrat to represent the district since it was created in the early 1980s. She is facing Republican Jesse Jensen, an Army veteran and former program manager at Amazon and Microsoft. Schrier was ahead in early returns Tuesday.

▪ In Washington’s 3rd District, which encompasses the southwest portion of the state, incumbent Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler is in a rematch with the Democratic opponent she beat in 2018 — Carolyn Long, a Washington State University-Vancouver professor in the school of politics. Beutler, who was ahead in Tuesday’s early returns, is seeking her sixth term.

▪ Democrat Pramila Jayapal won reelection in the state’s 7th Congressional District, defeating Republican Craig Keller.

▪ Democrat Rick Larsen won reelection to the U.S. House in Washington’s 2nd Congressional District, defeating Republican Timothy S. Hazelo.

▪ Democrat Adam Smith won reelection to the U.S. House in Washington’s 9th Congressional District, defeating Republican Doug Basler.

▪ Democrat Derek Kilmer won reelection to U.S. House in Washington’s 6th Congressional District, defeating Republican Elizabeth Kreiselmaier.

▪ Democrat Suzan DelBene won reelection to U.S. House in Washington’s 1st Congressional District, defeating Republican Jeffrey Beeler.

LT. GOVERNOR

Two Democrats, state Sen. Marko Liias, 39, the majority floor leader in the Senate, and retiring U.S. Rep. Denny Heck, 68, whose career in politics and public service has spanned more than four decades, are vying for the position. The lieutenant governor serves as president of the state Senate, participates on several committees and is next in line should the governor leave office. Heck was leading in early returns Tuesday.

— The Associated Press

Sex ed referendum approved

Referendum 90 was approved by Washington state voters on Tuesday, 59.65% to 40.35%.

The referendum could have overturned a sex education requirement for Washington public schools. In March the state Legislature passed a bill outlining mandatory sex ed standards they said were necessary to protect young people from sexual abuse, diseases and infections. Some Republicans and religious conservatives took issue with the content of the standards, and pushed for R-90 as a way to take back local control. The referendum marks the first time in the country that such a decision on sex ed will be decided by voters.

— The Associated Press

State attorney general wins re-election

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson defeated Republican challenger Matt Larkin in Tuesday’s race.

But his eye was on the presidential contest as it unfolded nationwide.

In a statement issued shortly after the first results were posted, Ferguson said: “With the uncertain outcome of the presidential election, there’s no time to celebrate. In a few minutes, I will meet with my legal team to move forward with defending our democracy and ensuring every legal vote counts across the United State. That’s my priority right now.”

“As the people’s lawyer, I will continue fighting to protect Washingtonians’ health care, civil rights and environment, while holding powerful interests accountable when they break the law.”

About his own campaign, he noted: “We won an overwhelming victory despite hundreds of thousands of dollars in negative ads. Our campaign is a truly grassroots movement with nearly 40,000 donations of $50 or less.”

— Debbie Cockrell, dcockrell@thenewstribune.com

Voting results

Check and bookmark our statewide and county live vote tallies for McClatchy markets in Washington state:

Protests reported in Seattle, Portland

Hundreds were marching in demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, and in Seattle on Tuesday, and several were arrested as authorities said they were prepared for unrest.

Hundreds of people were marching through Portland, chanting among other things, “This is what democracy looks like.” Organizers said the demonstration would be peaceful, and that regardless of the presidential election result, they would continue demonstrating in support of racial justice.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter that some Portland protesters were openly carrying firearms.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown had the National Guard on standby as Oregon’s largest city has seen near nightly protests since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. President Donald Trump’s call for a crackdown on protests in Democratic-led cities has attracted right-wing groups to Portland for pro-Trump events.

In Seattle, two groups were marching through Seattle Tuesday evening and the Seattle Police Department tweeted that they had given a public safety warning to one group to keep moving. One group carried American flags and ‘Black Lives Matter’ banners. Just after 9 p.m. the two groups appeared to be merging and police were ordering people to stop putting items, including nails, in the roadway. Police said they had made several arrests including one involving someone who damaged a parking meter with a hammer.

The Office of Police Accountability in Seattle encouraged the Seattle Police Department “to allow demonstrators to freely exercise their First Amendment rights” and advised demonstrators to protest peacefully.

— The Associated Press

42nd District state House trending blue

Democrats were leading for the 42nd Legislative District’s two open House seats after initial election returns were posted Tuesday night in Whatcom County’s most hotly contested race.

Blaine Councilwoman Alicia Rule, a Democrat, led Rep. Luanne Van Werven, R-Lynden, for House position 1 by 51% to 48%.

“I’m still a little bit in disbelief,” said Rule, who was running in her first state race.

“I’m just thrilled that the voters showed up for a candidate that’s able to represent all of us,” she told The Bellingham Herald. “The voters came out clearly for working together. That’s what the voters told me.”

Van Werven, who has held the 42nd’s position 1 seat since 2014, said she was hoping that Wednesday’s updated ballot count would show different results.

“It’s not over. There are still a lot of votes to be counted. We’re still hopeful,” Van Werven told The Herald.

“We did not leave anything on the table,” she said. “We had to adjust our campaigning in the age of COVID. I’m satisfied that we’ve done everything we could.”

State Rep. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, led Jennifer Sefzik, a Custer Republican, for House position 2 by 52% to 48%.

“It’s a solid lead, but I want to wait until all the votes are counted,” Shewmake told The Herald Tuesday night.

-- Robert Mittendorf, rmittendorf@bhamherald.com

Read the full story here.

Pierce County ‘breaking every record’

Whatever their political beliefs may be, Pierce County voters turned out in record numbers for Tuesday’s general election.

The News Tribune caught up with voters waiting in the long drive-thru lines at the Pierce County Auditor’s Office, many of whom were planning to vote for the first time.

Lakewood resident Montek Smith, 24, said he’s never been politically engaged but this year felt important.

“With COVID and Black Lives Matter, I feel it’s more important to know where we’re headed,” Smith said. “I’m not really liberal or conservative, but I’m voting for Donald Trump.”

Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson said voters in the county are breaking every record.

“As of this morning we had 71% of the ballots we’re expecting,” Anderson said. “We’re breaking every record in the book: most registered voters and most ballots returned.”

Anderson said people seem more engaged this year than ever before.

“Whether that’s because of COVID or social justice or their feelings about federal and state government, people are talking to each other,” Anderson said. “But this is the result we’d like to see in every election.”

— Abbie Shull, abbie.shull@thenewstribune.com

Read full story here.

Historic turnout in Tri-Cities

As of Monday, the day before the general election, Benton County reported a 67 percent return, according to the Washington state Secretary of State website. That means nearly 87,600 of the county’s 125,900 registered voters had returned their ballot, not including the final election day push.

Franklin County had a 65-percent return, with about 27,300 votes cast out of 41,700 registered voters. Franklin County Auditor Matt Beaton described the turnout as historic, “for this point on Election Day to have that many people that have already participated.” He said his count showed a 67-percent return so far for the county, and added that there may be a lag in what shows on the state site.

In comparison, Franklin County had a 47-percent ballot return the day before the 2016 general election and a 53-percent return the day before the 2012 general election.

Beaton said once all of the ballots are in — including those that arrive later in the mail with the Nov. 3 postmark — he hopes to see the county hit the 80s or even 90s for return rates. He said it’s quite a change from the times the county has only seen percentages in the 20s.

— Kristin M. Kraemer, kkraemer@tricityherald.com

Read full story here.

Thurston County’s record turnout

As of Tuesday morning, 74.4% of eligible Thurston County voters had already cast their ballots, putting the county on track for record turnout. Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall is predicting the county could hit 90%, which would break the all-time record of 85.6% set in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected President.

The county already is seeing higher turnout than at the same time in 2016, when 46.9% of eligible voters had cast their ballots in the same period.

Many things are different in 2020.

“One of the things that is happening today that has never happened in a presidential election is voters can actually register to vote and vote on election day,” Hall said Tuesday morning. In the past, there was a nine-day cutoff.

— Brandon Block, bblock@theolympian.com

Read full story here.

Richland resident says display not racist

A black skeleton labeled Kamala Harris hanging from a tree in a Richland front yard is not intended to be a racist or a political statement, says the homeowner. It was meant to be funny for Halloween, Ronnarae Cowell, 71, told the Tri-City Herald.

Three skeletons — labeled Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi — were still dangling Tuesday from her trees on the 800 block of Birch Avenue.

The Harris skeleton with a black wig and the one of Biden also had signs around their necks with the date: Nov. 4, 2020 — the day after election day.

One Richland resident complained to the Herald that the Harris skeleton comes too close to depicting a lynching and is not only a threat to Harris, but to all people of color in the community.

The concerned citizen, who sent an anonymous email to the Herald, said he complained to police but a police dispatcher seemed more amused than bothered by it, and he was concerned nothing would be done.

— Cameron Probert, cprobert@tricityherald.com

Read full story here.

Whatcom turnout could be record

Nearly 80 percent of Whatcom County voters returned their ballots through Monday, Nov. 2, in Washington state’s vote-by-mail election, with turnout this year expected to match or surpass that of a typical presidential election.

Countywide turnout was 83% in both 2016 and 2012, and a record 88% in 2008 when Barrack Obama defeated John McCain.

Ballots were mailed to all of the county’s record 158,350 registered voters on Oct. 14, and voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, to get them postmarked — not just mailed — or place them in nearly two dozen official dropboxes around Whatcom County.

A steady stream of voters headed to the Whatcom County Courthouse amid breezy winds and persistent rain to cast their ballots in person early Tuesday, Nov. 3.

— Robert Mittendorf, rmittendorf@bhamherald.com

Read full story here.

National Guard prepares for civil unrest

About 300 Washington National Guard soldiers have trained to handle possible civil unrest after Election Day.

They’ll be placed on alert along with hundreds of other guardsmen who’ve already been trained and were activated to assist police in Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma during June’s racial justice protests.

Although a spokesman for the Seattle office of the FBI told The Seattle Times that there have been no credible threats thus far, he said there is a certain level of risk from both far-left anti-government factions as well as far-right groups in the time between the vote and the determination of the winner.

A spokesperson for the Washington National Guard said soldiers are preparing for civil unrest missions, but there have been no requests for activation since June, which marked the first time in 21 years National Guard troops were activated statewide due to “civil unrest.”

— Abbie Shull, abbie.shull@thenewstribune.com

Read the full story here.

Whatcom election endorsement false

A Facebook post stating that The Bellingham Herald “advises everyone to vote TRUMP 2020!” is false.

While The Herald encourages all Whatcom County residents to vote, it has not endorsed any candidates in the election.

The post appears in the cover photo of the popular buying and selling Facebook group Britslist: Whatcom County.

“The Bellingham Herald has not made any endorsements since 2012,” The Herald’s Executive Editor and General Manager Julie Shirley said. “Our staff is too small to maintain an independent editorial board, which used to interview candidates before making recommendations on local races. By McClatchy 2020 policy and by The Herald’s choice for years, we would have to meet with candidates before considering an endorsement.”

Impact on border reopening

While British Colombians reportedly are betting on Tuesday’s U.S. Presidential election in record numbers, the actual outcome could make a huge impact on how soon the border between the two countries is reopened, one Canadian expert says.

The B.C. Lottery Corporation estimates that approximately 10,000 people British Columbia residents will bet on the U.S. election, which would make it the largest-ever betting event the website has ever seen, according to a CTV story last week. Most B.C. bettors (44%) think Republican incumbent Donald Trump will win, while 27% have put their money on Democratic challenger Joe Biden, according to the story.

If Canadians are right and Trump wins, one B.C. analyst says that could mean the border could remain closed due to COVID-19 longer, according to a story Sunday by the Vancouver Sun. The two countries closed the border to non-essential travel on March 21 in an effort to slow the coronavirus spread and seven times have extended that closure a month at a time..

“The sooner the U.S. gets control of the pandemic, the sooner the border can reopen,” Finlayson told the Sun. “And I’m suggesting that the likelihood of getting control of the pandemic would be under a Biden administration.”

In Finlayson’s view, according to the Sun story, Trump is “sort of giving up (on COVID-19) and, you know, betting all their chips on a vaccine.”

Read the full story here.

Gov. Inslee on record voter turnout

Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement Monday evening, Nov. 2, ahead of Tuesday’s elections:

“Record voter turnout in Washington state and around the nation is a powerful reminder of who’s in charge as this tumultuous election reaches its final state: The people.

“That means elections are not final until all votes are counted. There may be instances where the outcomes aren’t certain on election night. Washingtonians’ commitment to civility, respect and nonviolence will be honored during that time. Nothing could be more important for the continuation of our democracy.

“State and county elections officers – representing every region of our state – are in charge of this process. I have every reason to be confident our state’s election system will produce an outcome that represents the will of the voters. If you haven’t voted yet, please do it now – and know you can do it safely.

“We know elections take time to count accurately. We know how this works and we can be a model for the nation. Our government’s power belongs to the people. It did before this election, and that will continue after this election.”

Tacoma mayor on potential protests

The mayor of Tacoma, Victoria Woodards, issued a statement Monday afternoon, urging those who haven’t voted to do so by the Tuesday deadline and reiterated Pierce County’s “proven track record of voting reliably by mail.”

Woodards called 2020 “an unprecedented year” as the country has dealt with both the pandemic and systemic racism, and she urged residents who may protest to uphold “our reputation for peaceful demonstration.”

“While we wait for ballots to be tallied, many are feeling trepidation about what lies ahead,” Woodards said. “Whatever the outcomes may be, they are bound to stir strong and differing emotions of all kinds. I want you to know that I support your right to continue to use your voice to hold elected officials accountable and to seek change on the issues that are important to you.

“In these historic times, I hope you will continue to advocate in a way that upholds the admirable precedent that the Tacoma community has set for standing up and speaking out both peacefully and with great passion.”

— Tacoma News Tribune staff

Long voter lines warned in Tri-Cities

Voters in the Tri-Cities were warned to be prepared for some long lines at ballot dropboxes and voting centers.

The return of ballots had slowed since the initial rush and thousands of ballots remain outstanding in Benton and Franklin counties.

Benton County officials are offering a full range of help for voters at a new voting center, including getting a replacement ballot, changing an address and registering to vote. People can register and vote until 8 p.m. Nov. 3.

Both counties were recommending voters use the ballot dropboxes to ensure that their vote is counted because ballots put in the mail on Tuesday will not be postmarked in time to count because mail is processed in Spokane.

More than 1,500 ballots already were rejected because of problems with signatures or other issues.

To check on the status of your ballot go to voter.votewa.gov. After entering your name and birthdate, you can click on ballot status on the side.

– Cameron Probert, cprobert@tricityherald.com

Whatcom officials assure integrity of results

“We, independently elected leaders of Whatcom County, are united in our confidence in the democratic process and the integrity of our electoral system,” Executive Satpal SIdhu, Sheriff Bill Elfo and Auditor Diana Bradrick said in a statement.

President Trump continued to attack mailed ballots as less than secure and threatened to challenge election results in states like Pennsylvania where mailed ballots can be counted up to three days after the election as long as they were postmarked before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

In Washington state, ballot dropboxes are sealed at 8 p.m. Tuesday and ballots that arrive by mail after the election — but were postmarked before 8 p.m. Nov. 3 — will be counted until the election is certified at 10 a.m. Nov. 24.

— Robert Mittendorf, rmittendorf@bhamherald.com

Read the full story here.

Watch for phishing attempts

With election-themed social media content flowing through most people’s feeds and more people working outside company’s firewalls due to COVID-19, one expert warned that the 2020 election is a “perfect storm” for employees to be targeted in phishing attacks.

“I think what we’re seeing is No. 1, the global pandemic has many more people working from home, which means all these millions of corporate devices have left the corporate firewall,” Veritas Vice President of Enterprise Data Protection and Compliance told TechRepublic.com. “And in the meantime, we’re also in the middle of this presidential election, which is driving a tremendous amount of social interaction, whether it’s email or social networking interaction, which presents a great opportunity for phishing attacks and the intrusion of ransomware while these devices are outside the enterprise firewall.”

Even after the election is over, the risk remains high as people search for updates and news of election results, according to TechRepublic.

Between July and September, U.S. ransomware attacks doubled compared to the first half of 2020, TechRepublic reported.

— The Bellingham Herald

News and information for voters in Whatcom County

Unanswered calls to USPS, undelivered mail and ballots concern WA residents

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