What to expect in Washington state on Election Day

WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in Washington state will decide whether to amend their constitution to allow money from the long-term care insurance program to be invested in the stock market. It’s the only statewide contest in the Nov. 4 election that will mostly include mayoral races and other municipal races across the state.

The proposed constitutional amendment, known as Senate Joint Resolution 8201, would shape the future of the WA Cares Fund, which the state Legislature created in 2019 to help participants afford certain long-term care services. Washington taxpayers fund the program through a 0.58% payroll tax, which began in July 2023. As of June 30, the fund had a balance of $2.5 billion.

Read more: How Medicaid cuts could upend long-term care for many older Americans

Supporters of the proposal say harnessing the growth potential of equity investments would ensure the fund’s long-term stability. Opponents claim that private investments offer no guarantees and that market fluctuations may shrink the size of the fund and lead to lower benefits or higher taxes. Stocks fell in April after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs but rebounded by the summer.

This will be the second time in five years that the issue has appeared on the ballot. About 54% of Washington voters rejected a similar ballot measure in November 2020, compared to about 46% who voted in favor of it.

The state constitution generally prohibits investing public funds in stocks and private equity, but voters have approved several exemptions in the past, including public pension and retirement funds, workers’ compensation funds, and a fund for individuals with developmental disabilities. Those funds are managed by the nonpartisan Washington State Investment Board, which will also oversee the WA Cares Fund if the ballot measure passes.

Since 1966, Washington voters have considered at least 10 proposed constitutional amendments to exempt certain funds from the ban on investing public funds in stocks and shares. Five of these measures were passed, the last of which was in 2007.

Only three of Washington’s 39 counties voted for the failed 2020 measure: King and Whatcom, which received more than 58% of the vote, and Jefferson, which received about 52%. King is home to Seattle and is the most populous county in the state. Pierce and Snohomish counties, the second and third most populous counties in the state and located to the north and south of King, rejected the proposal overwhelmingly with nearly 60% of voters voting against it.

In the 2024 general election, voters rejected a proposal that would have allowed workers to opt out of WA Cares, which would have crippled the programme.

The Associated Press does not provide projections, and will declare a winner only when it is determined that no scenario exists that would allow the late nominees to close the gap. If the race is not called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or announcements of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet announced a winner and explain why.

A machine recount in Washington state occurs automatically if the vote margin between the top two candidates is less than 2,000 votes and less than 0.5% of the total votes cast for both candidates. Manual recounts are required in statewide contests if the margin is less than 1,000 votes and less than 0.25% of the total votes cast for both candidates. The AP may declare a winner in a race eligible for a recount if it can determine that the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Here’s a look at what to expect on November 4:

How long are the polls open?

Polls close at 11 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will present the voting results and declare the winner of the statewide ballot measure. Other elections will be held across the state, including mayoral and municipal elections in Seattle and a handful of state legislative districts, but those contests will not be included in the AP’s voting table.

Who is entitled to vote?

Any registered voter in Washington State may cast a vote on the proposed constitutional amendment.

What does turnout and advance voting look like?

There were about 5.1 million active registered voters in Washington state as of October 1. Voters do not register by party.

Nearly 79% of registered voters cast valid ballots in the 2024 general election. Washington state conducts its elections almost entirely by mail. About 66% of voters cast their ballots via ballot drop boxes, 33% sent their ballots by mail, and the remainder, less than 1%, used other methods, such as in-person voting.

In the 2021 general election, only about 39% of registered voters cast valid ballots. About 56% of voters used ballot drop boxes, 43% sent their ballots by mail, and 0.3% used other methods.

As of Thursday, about 244,000 absentee ballots had been received and accepted before Election Day. Check AP’s early voting tracker for the latest update.

How long does the vote counting process usually take?

In the 2024 presidential election in Washington state, the AP first announced results at 11:07 p.m. ET, or seven minutes after polls closed. Election Night tabulation ended shortly after midnight at 12:07 a.m. ET with about 66% of the total votes counted. It took about three weeks for all counties to finish counting the votes.

Are we there yet?

As of November 4, there will be 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.

Find out more 2025 voting coverage