Robert
on April 21, 2026
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The most important election in Washington state this November is one most voters don't even know about. Five seats on the Supreme Court are on the ballot. That court is currently deciding your gas vote, your income tax vote, and 93 years of constitutional law.
For the past several weeks I have been documenting what has happened to Washington voters.
You voted no on an income tax eleven times. They stopped asking and passed one anyway.
You voted to protect your natural gas access. A King County judge overturned it.
You tried to file a referendum on the income tax. The Secretary of State blocked it the day after it was signed.
Every one of these fights ends at the same place. The Washington State Supreme Court.
Here is what almost nobody is talking about. Five of the nine seats on that court are on the November 3 ballot. Primary August 4. The filing deadline for anyone who wants to run is May 8, 2026.
The five seats, per Ballotpedia and Wikipedia:
Position 1: Justice Colleen Melody, appointed by Ferguson in November 2025. Running for the first time.
Position 3: Open seat. Justice Montoya-Lewis not seeking re-election.
Position 4: Open seat. Justice Johnson hit mandatory retirement age.
Position 5: Justice Theo Angelis, appointed by Ferguson in March 2026. Running for the first time.
Position 7: Chief Justice Debra Stephens. Running for re-election.
Per Ballotpedia, five of the nine current justices were appointed by Democratic governors, not directly elected by voters. The last sitting justice to lose re-election was in 2010. Most of these races run without serious challengers because most voters do not know judicial elections exist.
Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen said publicly that one purpose of passing the income tax bill was to get it in front of the state Supreme Court for review, per OPB. That is not my characterization. That is what he told reporters.
The court deciding your gas vote, your income tax, and 93 years of constitutional precedent is elected by the people of Washington state.
I am not telling you who to vote for. Judicial elections are nonpartisan and every candidate deserves to be evaluated on their merits.
Most Washington voters will not know these seats exist. The democrats hope that remains the case.
Now you know. What do you do with that?
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