If you're registered to vote within Seattle city limits, you should have a BLUE envelope from King County Elections in your mail. Open it up! The February special election has a single ballot measure in Seattle: Initiative 135, which if approved would create an authority to build and buy publicly owned housing in Seattle:
By creating a community-controlled Social Housing Developer to buy and build housing that will be available to those across the income spectrum, Seattle will have another critical tool to address the suffering, displacement, and inequity that defines our housing landscape. We can create a Seattle not just for those with generational wealth and high incomes, but where everyone can afford to live and thrive.
You can read the full initiative text online or in the ballot packet you received, and The Stranger's endorsement of the initiative, which I find to be a helpful summary of what the initiative will and won't do on its own. As they write, it's not perfect, but I still believe it's worth your Yes vote.
Remember to sign and date the back of your return envelope before you drop it in the mail or in a drop-off box!
If you live in Seattle and need to register to vote, you can register online by February 6; do so as soon as possible so you can receive a ballot in time. You can also register and vote in person at KCE's Renton facility until polls close on the 14th.
Don't have your ballot? Track it at My Voter Information. If necessary and you have access to a printer (such as the library), you can use the online ballot-marking program to mark and print a ballot to mail to KCE.
What was the deal with the pink envelope from Elections? KCE sent every registered voter an optional form to add signatures to their voter registration. Every time you vote, your signature is validated against your registration, but signatures change over time. You can still vote if you didn't return it.
Other questions? Contact King County Elections (elections@kingcounty.gov).
