Let’s start with the bad news. Initiative 1631 did not pass and Washington state will not have a fee on carbon pollution to invest a billion dollars per year in clean energy. Other progressive-minded ballot initiatives had a solid night though. I-940 (a police accountability measure) passed easily with 59% in returns thus far. I-1639, a gun safety measure, also passed decisively, carrying more than 60% of the vote on election night. All three of these ballot measures were endorsed by The Urbanist.

In other positive news, Kim Schrier won, meaning Democrats picked up the 8th Congressional District seat vacated by retiring Representative Dave Reichert. Dino Rossi loses yet again. No other Washington state congressional districts changed hands. Senator Maria Cantwell easily coasted to reelection as well, surpassing 58%.

What the Carbon Fee Defeat Means

I-1631 carried only 43.7% of the election night vote, strongly suggesting remaining votes to be counted aren’t enough to close the gap. I had hoped the carbon fee’s more political savvy approach (where revenues were invested in popular clean energy initiatives rather than used to reduce other taxes like I-732 tried to do in 2016) would pay dividends. It looks like I-1631 will do better than I-732 but not by nearly enough to score a win.

The carbon fee only carried in three counties: King, Jefferson, and San Juan. In King County the measure managed to run a 57.3% to 42.7% margin, but that wasn’t enough to carry the whole state with huge margins in the other direction for other counties. Notably, I-1631 carried only 36% in Pierce County and 39% in Snohomish County, the next two most populous counties after King County, which has about a 30% of the state’s population. 34% in Spokane County was also a dismal result.

Well it’s Election Day and polls close at 8pm. Find your nearest ballot box here or drop it in the mail box in time to get postmarked today. No postage necessary this year. There’s no rule against procrastination. Get that ballot in.

Here how The Urbanist Election Board landed in our endorsements:

• Yes on I-1631 – Carbon Pollution Fee that invests in clean energy
• Yes on 1-1639 – Gun Safety
• Yes on 1-940 – Police Accountability
• Adam Smith for 9th Congressional District – “Rep. Smith spoke in depth about a federal approach to preventing sprawl and making sure our communities are connected through robust transportation. He supports a higher capital gains tax on all real estate, nationwide inclusionary zoning, and phasing out the home mortgage interest deduction.”
• No endorsement in LD21 – ” Even with his car tab chicanery, urbanists probably will end up holding their noses and voting for Strom Peterson in Legislative District 21A. But we’re not telling you to be excited about it.”
• Melanie Morgan for LD29A – “[Morgan’s] personal experience and perspective is that of someone who values affordable housing, public transit, and equity in education.”
• Victoria Mena for LD31A – “Victoria Mena absolutely nailed our questionnaire. She opposes cuts to Sound Transit 3 budget and supports “massively” increasing the funding for the state Housing Trust Fund, I-1631 (and further climate action), and safe bicycling infrastructure.”
• Rebecca Saldaña for LD37 – “The Urbanist is excited to endorse Rebecca Saldaña in her race for State Senate in the 37th district. Saldaña has been a champion for issues we care about, such as affordable housing and transportation. Prior to her first election, she led Puget Sound Sage and pushed Seattle to pursue land value capture via a linkage fee. Over time and through negotiation, that effort morphed into inclusionary zoning and the Seattle for Everyone coalition. Without Puget Sound Sage’s political organizing, none of that would’ve happened and she deserves an immense amount of credit.”
• Nicole Macri for LD43A – “In the midst of a housing and homelessness crisis in communities across Washington with people struggling to pay their rents or mortgages, Macri was at the forefront of legislative efforts that yielded the most resources to address these problems in over ten years. As prime sponsor of a bill that included the biggest increase in funding for homeless and housing assistance providing $27 million in new resources annually, Macri intends to further her efforts in the 2019 session.”
  
• Vote Yes on Shoreline Proposition 1 to Fund Sidewalks
• Vote Yes on Intercity Transit Proposition 1 in Thurston County
• Vote Yes on Lewis County’s Twin Transit Expansion