Joseph O’Sullivan | The Seattle Times

Supporter Shari Newton, center, celebrates an early lead in the polls during the anti-affirmative action group Reject Referendum 88 campaign’s election-watching event at 13 Coins in Bellevue on November 5, 2019. 212007

November 8, 2019 at 3:55 pm

Affirmative-action measure Referendum 88 trails despite big King County support

OLYMPIA — King County on Friday made the Referendum 88 race a nail-biter, giving hope to people who have waited two decades for Washington state...

Gov. Jay Inslee applauds WA Fairness campaign manager Cherika Carter at an election-night party for supporters of Referendum 88 in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / The Associated Press)

November 7, 2019 at 4:05 pm

Referendum 88 on affirmative action still trailing Thursday, but margin narrows as King County voters say yes

OLYMPIA — Referendum 88 continued to trail in Thursday's vote count, but the margin narrowed as a bundle of King County votes came in favoring...

Campaign leader Linda Yates celebrates an early lead in the polls alongside KVI morning talk show host John Carlson during the anti-affirmative action group Reject Referendum 88 campaign’s election-watching event at 13 Coins in Bellevue on November 5, 2019. 212007

November 6, 2019 at 4:56 pm

Washington voters still saying no to affirmative action. Will the ballot count from King County reverse the trend?

OLYMPIA — Washington voters continue to reject an affirmative-action measure, with Wednesday's vote count showing statewide Referendum 88 still trailing. But with an estimated 277,000 votes...

Kan Qiu, a leader in the anti-affirmative action campaign, celebrates a lead Tuesday at a party at 13 Coins in Bellevue. (Andy Bao / The Seattle Times)

November 5, 2019 at 8:39 pm

Washington voters narrowly rejecting affirmative action in Referendum 88

OLYMPIA — With Referendum 88 trailing by a slim margin, Washingtonians appeared like they might, for the second time in two decades, vote against affirmative...

November 5, 2019 at 8:36 pm

In two state Legislative races, voters sticking with the appointed lawmakers

OLYMPIA — Two Washington state lawmakers who were appointed earlier this year were leading in their special elections. In Tuesday night's election results, Sen. Liz...

November 5, 2019 at 8:35 pm

Washington voters saying yes to constitutional amendment for stronger state disaster-planning

OLYMPIA -- Washington voters Tuesday were easily passing a proposed amendment to the state constitution intended to help keep the government running during a large-scale...

November 5, 2019 at 6:00 am

Better food and health care needed at Washington state prisons, new report finds

OLYMPIA — Washington corrections officials should improve health care and food quality in state prisons and provide more opportunities to better prepare inmates to re-enter...

In this photo taken Oct. 24, 2019 in Tacoma, Wash. Initiative 976 is shown on a Pierce County general election ballot. The measure, sponsored by anti-tax activist Tim Eyman, will go before voters in the November 2019 election and would lower most taxes paid through annual vehicle tab registration to $30 and largely revoke the authority of state and local governments to add taxes and fees to that amount without voter approval. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) WATW303 WATW303

November 3, 2019 at 1:21 pm

Officials scramble to notify 1,000 potential Washington state voters about a registration glitch ahead of Tuesday’s election

The issue occurred with potential voters registering at Washington's health plan website, which provides an option to register when people sign up for health or...

File – In this Aug. 7, 2018, file photo, voter Yordanos Bayru places her ballot into a drop box in Seattle. If control of the U.S. House comes down to any of the competitive congressional races in Washington state and California, the American public might have to wait a while to learn the outcome because of the way those states handle mail-in votes. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

November 1, 2019 at 6:00 am

Affirmative-action measure: Are Washingtonians voting on Referendum 88, Initiative 1000, or both?

The question over whether to reinstate affirmative action in public contracting, employment and education could be one of the most convoluted for voters to untangle...

D Unit, to the right, is where the Clallam Bay Corrections Center’s Intensive Transition Program, or ITP, is housed, along with closed custody inmates.

October 30, 2019 at 6:32 pm

Inmates put in put in solitary confinement over food strike sue Washington corrections officials

The legal action is the latest clash in a series of food strikes and general discontent over the quality of food and other conditions in...