Do you agree with your Seattle City Council candidates? This will tell you
The Seattle City Council is almost entirely up for grabs come Election Day, Nov. 7. Seven seats will be decided — and of those, only three have incumbent candidates. Given the new faces, you may wonder, who are these people? Fret not, we can catch you up in less than 10 minutes. Keep on scrolling.
(If you want a deeper dive, listen to the debates that aired on Soundside and see the rest of KUOW's election coverage here.)
Homelessness
While all the candidates said they would consider voting to ban the clearing of homeless encampments during extreme weather, that's where the consensus ends. Candidates varied widely on how they would handle homeless encampments overall, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, and tiny homes.
Select the black arrows in the top right corner to navigate between questions. Tap or hover over a candidate's face to see their full name and district.
Policing
The new Seattle drug ordinance should stay, and Seattle should hire more police officers — if the majority of candidate answers are any indication. The candidates differ more in their positions on the Seattle police budget as a whole.
Select the black arrows in the top right corner to navigate between questions. Tap or hover over a candidate's face to see their full name and district.
Housing
Almost all the candidates agree, we need more multi-family housing in every neighborhood in Seattle — and everyone is on board for the $970 million Seattle Housing Levy. But how much of that should be market-rate, rent-controlled, or something else varies by candidate.
Select the black arrows in the top right corner to navigate between questions. Tap or hover over a candidate's face to see their full name and district.
Taxes
Seattle will likely be in the red by more than $200 million by 2025. The candidates were split on how best to address this (raise taxes, cut spending, move money around, etc).
Select the black arrows in the top right corner to navigate between questions. Tap or hover over a candidate's face to see their full name and district.
Transit
Congestion pricing on city roads has been a hot topic as climate change worsens. Most candidates said they would consider approving a traffic congestion tax. But they worry about how it would impact workers far from transit who rely on their cars to get to work.
Select the black arrows in the top right corner to navigate between questions. Tap or hover over a candidate's face to see their full name and district.
Leadership
How did the candidates vote in the most recent mayoral and city attorney races? Note: District 6 incumbent Dan Strauss voted for a write-in candidate in the city attorney race.
Select the black arrows in the top right corner to navigate between questions. Tap or hover over a candidate's face to see their full name and district.
Ballots are due Nov. 7
Beginning Oct. 19, ballot drop boxes and vote centers are open 24 hours a day. Deposit your ballot at any King County ballot drop box location until 8 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Don't have a ballot or need help casting a ballot? Visit a vote center to get assistance. The centers have trained staff and specialized equipment to help voters with disabilities cast a private, independent ballot.
All photos courtesy of campaigns, including: Vote Maren Costa, Friends of Rob Saka, People for Tammy Morales, Friends of Tanya Woo, Joy for Seattle, Alex for Seattle, Ron for Seattle, Maritza for Seattle, Cathy Moore for Seattle City Council D5, Community for ChrisTiana, Anita Nowacka, Vote Pete For D6, Lewis for Seattle, Jason Ganwich for Kettle for Seattle.