Bellevue's King County Council seat won't appear on the August 4 primary ballot. Councilmember Claudia Balducci, who has represented the Eastside's District 6 since 2015, is running unopposed, according to the official King County sample ballot.
The primary still matters for Bellevue voters. The ballot includes contested state legislative races, four Washington Supreme Court positions, and a King County Assessor race featuring Dominique M. Scarimbolo, Christopher Roberts, Rob Foxcurran, and Al Dams. Voters in Legislative District 41 will choose among three candidates for House Position 1, while LD-48 voters will pick between Jessica Forsythe and Amy Walen for House Position 2.
Why the calendar changed
This is the first King County primary held in an even-numbered year. Voters approved a charter change in 2022 with 69% support, moving county elections from odd years into even years to boost turnout. King County joined 37 of Washington's 39 counties that already held local elections on the even-year cycle.
The logic: King County voter turnout in even-year general elections has averaged nearly 80% over roughly 25 years, compared with less than 50% in odd years, according to Seattle Times reporting.
Balducci sponsored the move. But in a July 17 interview with the Seattle Times, she acknowledged the tradeoff.
"Let me be the first to say, I'm not personally sorry to have my summer, to not be campaigning hard this year," Balducci said. "But it's not good for democracy."
She argued even-year elections draw younger voters, more renters, and a more racially diverse electorate. Councilmember Reagan Dunn, first elected in 2005, disagreed. Dunn called the shift "an incumbent protection plan," saying federal and statewide campaigns drive up ad costs and drown out local races.
Even without a District 6 race on the ballot, the nine-member King County Council shapes services Bellevue residents use: Metro transit routes, regional sewer rates, and contracts for homelessness services. Council members earn $187,547 per year and serve four-year terms, according to the official voters' pamphlet.
Two other council seats are contested elsewhere in the county, covering parts of Seattle and south King County.
How to return your ballot
King County Elections mailed ballots to more than 1.4 million registered voters the week of July 15. Voters should have received them by Sunday, July 20.
Five Bellevue drop boxes are open around the clock until 8 p.m. on Election Day:
- Bellevue College, 3000 Landerholm Cir SE (drive-up)
- Bellevue Library, 1111 110th Ave NE
- Crossroads Shopping Center south entrance, 15600 NE 8th St
- Newport Way Library, 14250 SE Newport Way
- North Bellevue Community Center, 4063 148th Ave NE (drive-up)
A Vote Center at Bellevue College (U Building, Rooms U312 & U313) opens Saturday, August 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, August 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Election Day from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The center can register new voters and print replacement ballots.
The deadline to register online is Monday, July 27. Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Tuesday, August 4. USPS recommends mailing by Monday, July 28.
