City elections in Seattle, Washington (2021)
- Election date: Aug. 3
- Registration deadline(s): July 26 (by mail or online) / Aug. 3 (in person)
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Ballots mailed: July 14[1]
- Voter ID: By mail, no/In person, photo ID
- Ballot return deadline: 8 p.m. on Aug. 3, or postmarked by Aug. 3 if mailed
2022 →
← 2019
|
| 2021 Seattle elections |
|---|
 |
| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: May 21, 2021 |
| Primary election: August 3, 2021 General election: November 2, 2021 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: Mayor, city council, and city attorney |
| Total seats up: 4 (click here for mayoral elections) |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2021 |
The city of Seattle, Washington, held general elections for mayor, two at-large city council seats, and city attorney on November 2, 2021.
Bruce Harrell won the mayoral race. Incumbent Teresa Mosqueda won re-election to position 8 on the council, and Sara Nelson won election to position 9. Ann Davison won the city attorney election.
A top-two, nonpartisan primary was scheduled for August 3, 2021. The filing deadline for this election was May 21, 2021.
- Click here to learn more about the mayoral election.
- Click here to learn more about the city council elections.
- Click here to learn more about the city attorney election.
Election results
Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.
City attorney
General election
General election for Seattle City Attorney
Ann Davison defeated Nicole Thomas-Kennedy in the general election for Seattle City Attorney on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Ann Davison (Nonpartisan) | 51.6 | 132,638 | |
| Nicole Thomas-Kennedy (Nonpartisan) | 47.8 | 122,947 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 1,542 | ||
| Total votes: 257,127 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Seattle City Attorney
Nicole Thomas-Kennedy and Ann Davison defeated incumbent Pete Holmes in the primary for Seattle City Attorney on August 3, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Nicole Thomas-Kennedy (Nonpartisan) | 36.4 | 71,367 | |
| ✔ | Ann Davison (Nonpartisan) | 32.7 | 64,179 | |
| Pete Holmes (Nonpartisan) | 30.6 | 60,093 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 500 | ||
| Total votes: 196,139 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Steve Fortney (Nonpartisan)
City Council Position 8
General election
General election for Seattle City Council Position 8 At-large
Incumbent Teresa Mosqueda defeated Kenneth Wilson in the general election for Seattle City Council Position 8 At-large on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Teresa Mosqueda (Nonpartisan) | 59.4 | 149,589 | |
| Kenneth Wilson (Nonpartisan) | 40.2 | 101,168 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 881 | ||
| Total votes: 251,638 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Seattle City Council Position 8 At-large
The following candidates ran in the primary for Seattle City Council Position 8 At-large on August 3, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Teresa Mosqueda (Nonpartisan) | 59.4 | 113,052 | |
| ✔ | Kenneth Wilson (Nonpartisan) | 16.2 | 30,862 | |
| Kate Martin (Nonpartisan) | 11.6 | 21,997 | ||
| Paul Glumaz (Nonpartisan) | 5.4 | 10,228 | ||
| Alexander White (Nonpartisan) | 1.3 | 2,474 | ||
| Bobby Miller (Nonpartisan) | 1.3 | 2,438 | ||
| Jesse A. James (Nonpartisan) | 1.1 | 2,051 | ||
| Jordan Elizabeth Fisher (Nonpartisan) | 1.0 | 1,810 | ||
| George Freeman (Nonpartisan) | 0.8 | 1,575 | ||
| Alex Tsimerman (Nonpartisan) | 0.5 | 961 | ||
| Brian Fahey (Nonpartisan) | 0.5 | 887 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.1 | 2,075 | ||
| Total votes: 190,410 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
City Council Position 9
General election
General election for Seattle City Council Position 9 At-Large
Sara Nelson defeated Nikkita Oliver in the general election for Seattle City Council Position 9 At-Large on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sara Nelson (Nonpartisan) | 53.9 | 139,336 | |
| Nikkita Oliver (Nonpartisan) | 46.0 | 119,025 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 363 | ||
| Total votes: 258,724 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Seattle City Council Position 9 At-Large
The following candidates ran in the primary for Seattle City Council Position 9 At-Large on August 3, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Nikkita Oliver (Nonpartisan) | 40.2 | 79,799 | |
| ✔ | Sara Nelson (Nonpartisan) | 39.5 | 78,388 | |
| Brianna Thomas (Nonpartisan) | 13.4 | 26,651 | ||
| Corey Eichner (Nonpartisan) | 3.5 | 7,030 | ||
| Lindsay McHaffie (Nonpartisan) | 1.5 | 3,048 | ||
| Rebecca Williamson (Nonpartisan) | 0.8 | 1,646 | ||
| Xtian Gunther (Nonpartisan) | 0.7 | 1,409 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 637 | ||
| Total votes: 198,608 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Mayor
General election
General election for Mayor of Seattle
Bruce Harrell defeated M. Lorena Gonzalez in the general election for Mayor of Seattle on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bruce Harrell (Nonpartisan) | 58.6 | 155,294 | |
| M. Lorena Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) | 41.2 | 109,132 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 777 | ||
| Total votes: 265,203 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of Seattle
The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of Seattle on August 3, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bruce Harrell (Nonpartisan) | 34.0 | 69,612 | |
| ✔ | M. Lorena Gonzalez (Nonpartisan) | 32.1 | 65,750 | |
| Colleen Echohawk (Nonpartisan) | 10.3 | 21,042 | ||
| Jessyn Farrell (Nonpartisan) | 7.3 | 14,931 | ||
| Arthur Langlie (Nonpartisan) | 5.6 | 11,372 | ||
| Casey Sixkiller (Nonpartisan) | 3.4 | 6,918 | ||
| Andrew Grant Houston (Nonpartisan) | 2.7 | 5,485 | ||
| James Donaldson (Nonpartisan) | 1.6 | 3,219 | ||
| Lance Randall (Nonpartisan) | 1.4 | 2,804 | ||
| Clinton Bliss (Nonpartisan) | 0.8 | 1,618 | ||
| Omari Tahir-Garrett (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 391 | ||
| Bobby Tucker (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 377 | ||
| Henry Dennison (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 347 | ||
| Stan Lippmann (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 323 | ||
| Don Rivers (Nonpartisan) | 0.1 | 189 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 386 | ||
| Total votes: 204,764 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Washington elections, 2021
August 3, 2021
- Washington intermediate appellate court elections, 2021
- Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2021)
- Mayoral election in Seattle, Washington (2021)
- Seattle Public Schools, Washington, elections (2021)
- King County, Washington, Proposition 1, Property Tax for Youth and Family Support Services (August 2021)
November 2, 2021
- Washington intermediate appellate court elections, 2021
- Washington Advisory Vote 36, Nonbinding Question on Telephone Tax to Fund Behavioral Health Crisis Response and Suicide Prevention (2021)
- Washington Advisory Vote 37, Nonbinding Question on Capital Gains Tax to Fund Education and Child Care (2021)
- Washington Advisory Vote 38, Nonbinding Question on Captive Insurers Tax (2021)
- Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2021)
- Mayoral election in Seattle, Washington (2021)
- Seattle Public Schools, Washington, elections (2021)
- King County, Washington, Charter Amendment 1, Preamble Changes and Corrections (November 2021)
- King County, Washington, Charter Amendment 2, Initiative, Referendum, and Charter Amendment Processes and Timeline Changes (November 2021)
Mayoral election
Bruce Harrell defeated Lorena González in the nonpartisan general election for mayor of Seattle, Washington, on November 2, 2021. Mayor Jenny Durkan did not seek re-election.[2]
Harrell was city council president from 2016 to 2017 and from 2018 to 2019. González was the city council president as of the election. Associated Press's Chris Grygiel wrote that the primary "set up a choice between candidates representing the political divide between activist-left residents and more moderate progressives in one of the nation’s most liberal cities," with González representing the former camp and Harrell, the latter.[3]
Harrell said after the primary, "Our campaign’s message of unity, accountability, and action clearly resonated with voters. I’m looking forward to taking this energy into the general election and into office as Mayor as we unite Seattle to make real progress."[4]
González said, "Of votes counted to date, two-thirds of voters voted against the corporate-backed, status-quo candidate. That reflects the frustration I’ve heard from voters all over the city — they want bold, decisive, progressive action from their leaders."[4]
Homelessness and housing policy were major issues in the race. González and Harrell differed on zoning rules and their approach to encampments. Click here for more on their positions. Click here for candidates' responses to questions from The Seattle Times on policy questions including defunding the police department by 50%, property and sales tax increases, and rent control.
Two council members who did not endorse in the 2021 primary—Alex Pedersen and Debora Juarez—endorsed Harrell on August 16. Juarez and Pedersen were the two candidates of seven who won city council elections in 2019 with endorsements from the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce's PAC, Civic Alliance for a Sound Economy, which spent $2 million toward the elections.
Four of nine Seattle City Council members endorsed González in the primary. Three of them were up for election in 2019. Two were endorsed that year by the political action committee (PAC) Civic Alliance for a Progressive Economy. Committees affiliated with labor group UNITE HERE! supported Andrew Lewis, who endorsed González. Combined, these PACs spent more than $1 million in 2019.
Click here for background information on the 2019 elections.
As of November 1, the PACs that were active in the 2019 elections were not engaged in the 2021 mayoral election. The two groups that had spent the most in the 2021 election were Bruce Harrell for Seattle's Future, which had spent $493,000 supporting Harrell and $655,000 opposing González, and Essential Workers for Lorena, which spent $443,000 supporting González and $467,000 opposing Harrell.
Seattle uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[5]
See more
City Council elections
Seattle, Washington's two at-large city council seats, elected citywide, were up for election on November 2, 2021.
Incumbent Teresa Mosqueda defeated Kenneth Wilson for the position 8 seat. Sara Nelson defeated Nikkita Oliver for the position 9 seat. Position 9 incumbent Lorena González ran for mayor in 2021. Mayor Jenny Durkan did not seek re-election. This page focused on the open position 9 race.
Nelson co-owned Fremont Brewing as of the election. She served as a legislative advisor to former councilmember Richard Conlin and placed third in a 2017 at-large city council primary. She said Seattle voters were "tired of the ideological rhetoric and the failed policies that come out of council" and described herself as progressive and pragmatic.[6]
Oliver (they/them), an attorney and the executive director of the organization Creative Justice, was a founding member of the Seattle Peoples Party. They placed third in the 2017 mayoral primary. Oliver said, "Seattle is ready to do the work to address the root causes of the crises that we’re facing [with] solutions that are actually commensurate to its crises."[6]
All four city council candidates filled out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. For select responses, including candidates' key messages, click here. For full survey responses, click candidates' names above to see their profile pages on Ballotpedia.
For coverage of the August 3, 2021, primary election, click here.
Seattle City Council members serve four-year terms. The other seven seats are elected by district, and the most recent elections were held in 2019. Click here for background information on the 2019 elections.
See more
City attorney election
Ann Davison defeated Nicole Thomas-Kennedy in a general election for city attorney of Seattle, Washington, on November 2, 2021, with 55.1% of the vote to Thomas-Kennedy's 44.1%.[7]
Davison and Thomas-Kennedy advanced from the primary after winning 32.7% and 36.4% of the vote, respectively. Incumbent Pete Holmes, who was first elected in 2010, received 30.6% of the vote.
Crosscut, a nonprofit Seattle news site, said the race "will be one of clear contrasts and highlights just how divided the city is over issues of crime, public safety and criminal justice."[8] In a Crosscut Elway poll from September 7-9 where respondents were provided with a list of issues to choose from and more than one answer was allowed, 79% chose homelessness, 47% percent chose police, and 45% chose crime.[9]
Seattle news blog My Northwest described Davison "as more of an overt conservative, as a registered Republican who’s been vocal on her 'tough on crime' politics" compared to Thomas-Kennedy, whose "position as an 'abolitionist' in favor of ending the prosecution of low-level misdemeanors would represent a sizable shift in the City Attorney’s Office."[10][11] As of October 17, 2021, Thomas-Kennedy led Davison in overall fundraising, having raised a total of $336,598.00 to Davison's $317,646.00.[12]
At the time of the election, Davison was a Seattle attorney and arbitrator and previously ran as a Republican for lieutenant governor of Washington in 2020. Davison said the city needs "balanced leadership that makes us smart on crime: proactive not reactive” and said she would "focus on improving efficiencies within division in regards to zoning” and “transform existing Mental Health Court to specialized Behavioral Health Court for cases that involve mental health, substance use disorder or dual diagnosis."[13] Former governor Dan Evans (R), former King County Prosecutor Chris Bayley (R), former Seattle Municipal Judge Ed McKenna, and the Seattle Times endorsed Davison.[14]
Thomas-Kennedy worked as a public defender and criminal and eviction attorney.[15] She ran on a platform of decriminalizing poverty, community self-determination, green infrastructure, and ending homeless sweeps. Her campaign website said, "Every year the City Attorney chooses to prosecute petty offenses born out of poverty, addiction and disability. These prosecutions are destabilizing, ineffective, and cost the City millions each year."[16] The Seattle newspaper The Stranger, Former Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn (D) and several local Democratic party organizations endorsed Thomas-Kennedy.[17]
In Seattle, the city attorney heads the city's Law Department and supervises all litigation in which the city is involved. The city attorney supervises a team of assistant city attorneys who provide legal advice and assistance to the City's management and prosecute violations of City ordinances.[18]
See more
Background: 2019 city council elections
The 2019 elections for seven Seattle City Council seats took place amid conflict surrounding a 2018 tax on businesses grossing at least $20 million. The city council passed the tax in May 2018 and repealed it the next month following opposition from the business community.[19]
The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce opposed the tax. Its political action committee (PAC), Civic Alliance for a Sound Economy (CASE), received $1.5 million from Amazon—which is headquartered in Seattle—and spent around $2 million supporting and opposing candidates in 2019. The PAC endorsed in all seven races.[20][21] The PAC Civic Alliance for a Progressive Economy (CAPE) formed in 2019, spending around $350,000 in opposition to some CASE-backed candidates and supporting different candidates in five races.
Two CASE-backed candidates (Alex Pedersen and Debora Juarez) and four CAPE-backed candidates (Lisa Herbold, Tammy Morales, Kshama Sawant, and Dan Strauss) won in 2019.
In 2020, the Seattle City Council passed a tax on companies with payrolls of $7 million or more a year. The tax passed on a 7-2 vote with five sponsors, including González. Juarez and Pedersen voted against it. Durkan opposed the ordinance and let it pass unsigned.
CASE announced it would not spend toward the 2021 elections, and as of July 1, 2021, CAPE had not been active in the races.[21][22]
Election history
2019
2018
Seattle held general elections for municipal court judicial seats on November 6, 2018. A primary election took place on August 7, 2018. The top two vote recipients in the primary advanced to the general election. The filing deadline for this election was May 18, 2018.
2017
Seattle held general elections for mayor, city attorney, and two at-large seats on the city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on August 1, 2017. The top two vote recipients after the final count of the primary vote advanced to the general election. The filing deadline for this election was May 19, 2017.
2015
The city of Seattle, Washington, held elections for city council on November 3, 2015. A primary took place on August 4, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was May 15, 2015. All nine council seats were up for election.[23][24]
About the city
- See also: Seattle, Washington
Seattle is a city in King County, Washington. As of 2020, its population was 737,015.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Seattle uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[5]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Seattle, Washington | ||
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Washington | |
| Population | 737,015 | 7,705,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 83 | 66,455 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 65.8% | 73.5% |
| Black/African American | 7.1% | 3.9% |
| Asian | 16.3% | 8.8% |
| Native American | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Two or more | 7.6% | 7.1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.1% | 12.9% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 95.2% | 91.7% |
| College graduation rate | 65% | 36.7% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $97,185 | $77,006 |
| Persons below poverty level | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
| Seattle, Washington | Washington | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ King County, "King County Elections Calendar," accessed June 24, 2021
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan won’t run for reelection," December 7, 2020
- ↑ Associated Press, "Seattle mayoral primary sets up fight between liberal camps," august 4, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Capitol Hill Seattle Blog, "First count in primary looks good for Harrell-González race for Seattle Mayor — UPDATE," August 3, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 City of Seattle, "Elected Officials," accessed September 15, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedtone - ↑ King County, "Election results," accessed November 5, 2021
- ↑ Crosscut, "Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes concedes primary election," August 6, 2021
- ↑ Crosscut, "Poll shows many Seattle voters undecided, but Harrell leads," September 15, 2021
- ↑ My Northwest, "‘Abolitionist’ Seattle City Attorney candidate scores endorsement from local Democrat group," August 13, 2021
- ↑ My Northwest, "In city that rarely elects Republicans, Seattle conservatives aim for influence behind the scenes," August 24, 2021
- ↑ Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, "Seattle Elections," accessed October 19, 2021
- ↑ The Cascadia Advocate, "A three-way race for Seattle City Attorney: Pete Holmes barely ahead of two challengers," July 16, 2021
- ↑ Neighbors for Ann, "Endorsements," accessed July 19, 2021
- ↑ South Seattle Emerald, "Abolitionist Nicole Thomas-Kennedy Announces Last-minute Run for City Attorney," June 10, 2021
- ↑ NTK for Justice, "Platform," accessed July 19, 2021
- ↑ The Stranger, "The Stranger's Endorsements for the August 3, 2021, Primary Election," July 14, 2021
- ↑ City of Seattle, "City Attorney," accessed July 20, 2021
- ↑ Geek Wire, "Seattle repeals head tax 7-2 in dramatic reversal that leaves city divided over homeless crisis," June 12, 2018
- ↑ GeekWire, "Amazon gives $1M to group seeking to upend Seattle City Council in upcoming election," October 15, 2019
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 The Seattle Times, "Seattle businesses and politicians are at odds. The new Chamber CEO is calling a truce," April 10, 2021
- ↑ Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, "2021 IE Committees," accessed July 2, 2021
- ↑ City of Seattle, "Law, Rules and Information for Filers," accessed September 19, 2014
- ↑ City of Seattle, "Seattle City Council Districts," accessed December 31, 2014
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