SPOKANE, Wash. — KREM 2 will post live updating results of all major Eastern Washington races and measures on KREM's election page here.
Spokane voters will decide on which candidates they want to lead the city in public office and which local and state ballot measures they want to pass during the 2019 General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Several key races and tax measures are up for vote, including Spokane mayor, city council president and multiple city council seats. In addition, there are several local and statewide ballot measures, ranging from a decision on affirmative action to a cap on vehicle tab fees.
The following are key races and ballot measures on the ballot. For a full list of the races and measures, view the Online Spokane County Voter’s Guide.
How & Where to Vote
Washington state conducts elections through the mail, and ballots were mailed out between Oct. 16-18, according to the Spokane County Elections website.
The deadline for voters to register or receive voter updates online or by mail for the election was Oct. 28. People can still register to vote in-person all the way up to Election Day on Nov. 5. It is also the last day to file as a write-in candidate in the election, and is the day when votes will begin to be counted. All mailed-in ballots must be postmarked by this date, and all voters who plan to use a drop box must submit their ballot that day.
There are a total of 24 drop box locations listed on the election website, which are spread out around the county. Locations include the Airway Heights, Cheney, Fairfield, Liberty Lake, Medical Lake, Otis Orchards and various Spokane libraries. For a full list of drop box locations, visit the election website.
If you need a replacement ballot due to damage or not receiving one, contact the Spokane County Elections Office.
Ballots are sent out with a return envelope and postage is not needed.
Vote counts will be released starting on November 5, the final day of the election. The final results will be made official on Nov. 26, with additional counts happening in the days before the final certification.
State and Local Ballot Measures
The following are state-level ballot measures — including referendums and initiatives — that will appear on the ballot.
Referendum Measure No. 88: Affirmative action
This measure deals with affirmative action in Washington state. An ‘approved’ vote would allow for some forms of affirmative action, such as allowing public institutions to consider race or sex as a factor in hiring or contracts. But the law still wouldn’t allow for hard quotas. This measure effectively reverses a 1998 law that banned affirmative action in Washington. For more information on this measure, click here for KREM’s previous coverage.
Initiative Measure no. 976: Vehicle tab cap
This measure would place a hard cap on annual motor-vehicle-licensing fees at $30. A ‘yes’ vote would make it so annual vehicle fees can’t exceed $30 unless changed by voters, and bases vehicle taxes on Kelley Blue Book value. For more information on this measure, click here for KREM’s previous coverage.
Senate Joint Resolution No. 8200 – Proposed Constitutional Amendment
This resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Washington what would add the words “catastrophic incidents” to the list of specified times of emergency that would allow the state legislature to take certain immediate actions to ensure the continuity of state and local governments without holding votes.
City of Spokane Proposition No. 1: Public union negotiations
This proposition would change the Spokane City Charter to require all collective bargaining (union) negotiations to be open to the public, the public to be notified of the meetings and for copies of all contracts to be available for viewing on the City of Spokane website.
City of Spokane Proposition No. 2: No income tax
This proposition would change the Spokane City Charter to prohibit income tax on wages, salaries, investments and sales, as well as “any other income source.”
For information on the Advisory Votes on the ballot, view our explainer on how statewide advisory votes work.
School Levies
The following are school levies for school districts in Spokane County.
Cheney School District Proposition No. 1 – Capital Levy for Land, Technology and Infrastructure Improvements
The funds from this tax levy would go toward buying land, and improving technology and school infrastructure. Areas of improvement would include new devices for students and teachers, communication and emergency alarm systems, vehicles and machinery, among others. The tax would amount to $.50 for every $1,000 of assessed property value in 2020 and 2021.
Mead School District Proposition No. 1 – Supplemental Enrichment and Operations Levy
The funds from this levy would go toward operations spending and the district’s General Fund. The tax would amount to $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value in 2020 and 2021.
West Valley School District Proposition No. 1 – Supplemental Enrichment School Programs and Operations Levy
The funds from this tax levy would go toward programs and services that support teachers, staff, and purchasing classroom materials and textbooks, new technology, athletic equipment, buildings and other operations not funded by the state of Washington. The tax would amount to $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value in 2020 and 2021.
Editor’s Note: The candidates running for Spokane office are listed in the order they are shown on the sample ballot available on the Spokane County Elections Office website.
Spokane Mayor
Nadine Woodward and Ben Stuckart received the most votes during the August Primary Election, meaning their names will appear on the ballot in the race for Spokane Mayor. The race is nonpartisan, so the candidates will not have a party listed next to their name.
Nadine Woodward
Nadine Woodward worked as a news anchor for both KREM and KXLY in a career that lasted over two decades before retiring earlier this year. She was born and raised in Washington state. She has never held political office.
Woodward’s interview and extended transcript: 'It all goes back to listening': Spokane mayoral candidate Nadine Woodward discusses platform
Ben Stuckart
Ben Stuckart has served as the Spokane City Council President for the last six years. He graduated from Gonzaga University and worked in the ticketing industry for the Oakland Raiders and TicketsWest, as well as working with the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Before his political career, he also began the Schools of Spokane County nonprofit.
Stuckart’s interview and extended transcript: Ben Stuckart discusses mayoral platform: 'It needs to be about what we want Spokane to be'
Spokane City Council President
Breean Beggs and Cindy Wendle won the most amount of votes in the August Primary Election, meaning they will be the two listed on the ballot for the Spokane City Council President race. Like the mayoral race, this race is nonpartisan and the candidates will not have a political party listed next to their name.
Breean Beggs
Breean Beggs was elected to represent south Spokane’s District 2 on the city council in 2017, when he won about 58 percent of the vote. He runs council meetings when the president is absent, and serves on various local boards and committees. He is also an attorney for the Spokane Office of Police Ombudsman and is the Executive Director for the Center for Justice.
For more of Beggs’ campaign positions, visit his campaign website.
Cindy Wendle
Cindy Wendle is the co-owner and manager of North Town Square. She has also opened branches of Washington Trust Bank in Pullman, Moscow and Lewiston, and managed the Spokane Main Branch of the bank in 2015. She serves on the boards of the Washington East Soccer Club and the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
For more of Wendle’s campaign positions, visit her campaign website.
Other City Council Races
Note: The following races are nonpartisan unless otherwise denoted.
Spokane City Council Dist. 1 Position No. 1
Tim Benn
Michael Cathcart
Spokane City Council District 2 Position No. 1
Lori Kinnear (incumbent)
Tony Kiepe
Spokane City Council District 3 Positon No. 1
Karen J. Stratton (incumbent)
Andy Rathbun
Spokane Valley City Council Position No. 2
Brandi Peetz (incumbent)
Michelle Rasmussen
Spokane Valley City Council Position No. 3
Arne Woodard (incumbent)
Lance Gurel
Spokane Valley City Council Position No. 6
Tim Hattenburg
Bo Tucker
Airway Heights City Council Position No. 3
Veronica Messing (incumbent)
Airway Heights City Council Position No. 5
Larry Bowman (incumbent)
Jared Lacambra
Airway Heights City Council Position No. 7
Jennifer Morton
Sarah Slater
Cheney City Council Position No. 2
Vincent Barthels (incumbent)
Cheney City Council Position No. 5
Ryan Gaard (incumbent)
Cheney City Council Position No. 6
Allan Gainer
Jill Weiszman (incumbent)
Cheney City Council Position No. 7
Dan Hillman
Dan Hilton (incumbent)
Deer Park City Council Position No. 2
Helen (Dee) Cragun (incumbent)
Carla J. Phillips
Deer Park City Council Position No. 4
Heather Newsom
Caleb Stapp
Deer Park City Council Position No. 5
Ron Scholz
Liberty Lake Mayor
Shane Brickner
Steve Peterson (incumbent)
Liberty Lake City Council Position No. 1
Phil Folyer
Dg Garcia
Liberty Lake City Council Position No. 3
Dan Dunne (incumbent)
Holly Woodruff
Liberty Lake City Council Position No. 5
Annie Kurtz
Robert (Bob) Moore (incumbent)
Liberty Lake City Council Position No. 7
Cristella (Cris) Kaminskas (incumbent)
Tom Stanley
Medical Lake City Council Position No. 1
Donald Kennedy (incumbent)
Medical Lake City Council Position No. 2
Elizabeth Rosenbeck (incumbent)
Medical Lake City Council Position No. 5
Mitch Hardin
Arthur Kulibert
Medical Lake City Council Position No. 6
Heather Starr
Medical Lake City Council Position No. 7
Jessica Roberts (incumbent)
