Washington state legislative special elections, 2019
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In 2019, two special elections was called to fill vacant seats in the Washington State Legislature. Click here to read more about the special elections.
Senate special elections called:
- District 40: November 5
House special elections called:
- District 13-Position 2: November 5
How vacancies are filled in Washington
If there is a vacancy in the Washington State Legislature, the board of county commissioners where the vacant seat is located has the responsibility to select a replacement. The county central committee of the political party that last held the seat must submit a list of three candidates to the board of county commissioners representing the vacant district. If the vacancy occurs in the office of a joint senator or joint representative, the state central committee is responsible for submitting the list of three candidates. A selection must be made within 60 days after the vacancy occurred. The person appointed will hold the seat until his or her successor is elected at the next general or special election in November.[1]
See sources: Washington Const. Art. 2, Sec. 15
About the legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of Washington. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives and the upper Washington State Senate. The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2018 general election. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).
Washington State Senate | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | As of November 6, 2018 | After November 7, 2018 | |
Democratic Party | 26 | 29 | |
Republican Party | 23 | 20 | |
Total | 49 | 49 |
Washington House of Representatives | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | As of November 6, 2018 | After November 7, 2018 | |
Democratic Party | 50 | 57 | |
Republican Party | 48 | 41 | |
Total | 98 | 98 |
Special elections
Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:
November 5, 2019
Washington State Senate District 40 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for District 40 of the Washington State Senate took place on November 5, 2019. A primary was held on August 6, 2019. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 17, 2019.[2] The seat was vacated by Kevin Ranker (D) after allegations of sexual misconduct. Liz Lovelett (D) was appointed to fill the seat until a replacement was elected in November. General electionSpecial general election for Washington State Senate District 40Incumbent Liz Lovelett defeated Daniel Miller in the special general election for Washington State Senate District 40 on November 5, 2019.
Nonpartisan primary electionSpecial nonpartisan primary for Washington State Senate District 40Incumbent Liz Lovelett and Daniel Miller defeated Carrie Blackwood and Greta Aitken in the special primary for Washington State Senate District 40 on August 6, 2019.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
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Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for District 13-Position 2 of the Washington House of Representatives took place on November 5, 2019. A primary was held on August 6, 2019. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 17, 2019.[3] The seat was vacated by Matt Manweller (R) at the start of the 2019 legislative session. Alex Ybarra (R) was appointed to fill the seat until a replacement was elected in November. General electionSpecial general election for Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 2Incumbent Alex Ybarra defeated Steve Verhey in the special general election for Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 2 on November 5, 2019.
Nonpartisan primary electionSpecial nonpartisan primary for Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 2Incumbent Alex Ybarra and Steve Verhey advanced from the special primary for Washington House of Representatives District 13-Position 2 on August 6, 2019.
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The following state legislative candidates responded to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click candidate names to read their answers.
Washington State Senate District 40
Special elections throughout the country
In 2019, 77 state legislative special elections were held in 24 states. Between 2011 and 2018, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.
Breakdown of 2019 special elections
In 2019, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:
- 47 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
- 21 due to a retirement
- 6 due to the death of the incumbent
- 1 due to a resignation related to criminal charges
- 2 due to an election being rerun
Impact of special elections on partisan composition
The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:
- 39 Democratic seats
- 38 Republican seats
The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2019. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections. In elections between 2011 and 2018, either the Democratic Party or Republican Party saw an average net gain of four seats across the country. Between 2017 and 2018, Democrats had a net gain of 19 seats.
Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.
Partisan Change from Special Elections (2019) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | As of Special Election | After Special Election | |
Democratic Party | 39 | 36 | |
Republican Party | 38 | 40 | |
Independent | 0 | 1 | |
Total | 77 | 77 |
Flipped seats
In 2019, eight seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.
Seats flipped from D to R
- Minnesota State Senate District 11 (February 5)
- Connecticut State Senate District 6 (February 26)
- Connecticut House of Representatives District 99 (February 26)
- Kentucky State Senate District 31 (March 5)
- New Jersey State Senate District 1 (November 5)
Seats flipped from R to D
- Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 (April 2)
- Missouri House of Representatives District 99 (November 5)
Seats flipped from R to I
State profile
- See also: Washington and Washington elections, 2019
Partisan data
The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019
Presidential voting pattern
- Washington voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2018 elections, both U.S. Senators from Washington were Democrats.
- Washington had seven Democratic and three Republican U.S. Representatives.
State executives
- Democrats held six and Republicans held two of Washington's 14 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
- Washington's governor was Democrat Jay Inslee.
State legislature
- Democrats controlled the Washington State Senate with a 29-20 majority.
- Democrats controlled the Washington House of Representatives with a 57-41 majority.
Washington Party Control: 1992-2024
Eighteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Senate | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R[4] | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | S | S | S | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
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Demographic data for Washington | ||
---|---|---|
Washington | U.S. | |
Total population: | 7,160,290 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 66,456 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 77.8% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 3.6% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 7.7% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 1.3% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0.6% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 5.2% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 12% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 90.4% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 32.9% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $61,062 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 14.4% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Washington. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
See also
- State legislative special elections, 2019
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2017
- State legislative special elections, 2016
- Washington State Legislature
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington Legislature, "Washington Constitution - Section Article II, Section 15," accessed February 8, 2023
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2019 Elections Calendar," accessed March 27, 2019
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2019 Elections Calendar," accessed March 27, 2019
- ↑ Democrats gained full control of the state Senate after a special election on November 7, 2017.
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