Washington’s General Election Final Matchups Clear as Results are Counted

Posted by Joe Adamack on August 13, 2026

Thanks to the ability of Washington voters to participate via mail, the counting process generally takes a little longer as ballots submitted election evening still must be sent to the appropriate county election facility, sorted, and counted, so those post-marked by Election Day can take some time to trickle in. While some votes still may be added, the outcomes are now clear, although the Secretary of State does not have to officially certify the primary results until August 21st.

No major shifts have occurred since last week’s initial assessment, but with a week’s more data the biggest takeaway and trend is how many state House seats currently held by Republicans are likely or at least possibly could flip to Democrats. While we can certainly assess and extrapolate some trends from the primary, it’s also important to note that: 1) turnout is much lower than the general, 2) multi-candidate races in the primary will now be narrowed to two choices, and 3) other major issues like an initiative to repeal the income tax on certain individuals will also likely bring out more voters (on both sides of the issue) in November.

One interesting note is that while ballots were split 50/50 on if they were returned by drop boxes versus USPS on election day, late voters overwhelmingly chose official drop boxes with them accounting for 70% of all returned ballots as of now. Overall turnout ticked up to 37%, with registered voters over 65 years of age at a 62% turnout versus 18% among those ages 18-24.

Candidates who advance to the general election have little time to catch their breath with the November general election not far away.

Posted in Advocacy on the Move, Washington Advocacy.