AP Solution Notes: What to Expect in Washington on Election Day

WASHINGTON – Voters in Washington will vote on the president, governor, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as several state and local offices and ballot measures. Most of those votes will be cast before Election Day, as the state votes almost entirely by mail.

Washington is a solidly Democratic state. The last Republican to carry the state in a presidential election was Ronald Reagan in 1984. This election also ended the term of Governor John Spellman. He was the last Republican to hold this post in Washington.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump are vying for Washington’s 12 electoral votes.

Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell is running for a fifth term against Republican Raul Garcia. She led Garcia and the rest of the field by a wide margin in the August nonpartisan primary, where all candidates run on the same ballot regardless of party, and the top two advance to the November election.

Cantwell was first elected in 2000, when she defeated three-term incumbent Slade Gorton, the last Republican to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.

In the governor’s race, Democrat Bob Ferguson and Republican Dave Reichert are running to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee.

Washington votes primarily by mail, with limited in-person voting options available for voters who need assistance. Ballots are mailed to voters no later than 45 days before Election Day. Mail-in ballots are not counted until polls close on Election Night.

The AP does not make predictions and will declare a winner only when it determines there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race is not called, AP will continue to cover any newsworthy events, such as candidate concessions or claims of victory. However, AP will make it clear that it has not yet announced a winner and explain why.

Here’s a look at what to expect in the 2024 elections in Washington:

Election Day

November 5th.

Poll closing time

11:00 pm Eastern Time.

Presidential electoral votes

12 awarded to state winner.

Key races and candidates

President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (We the People) vs. Jill Stein (Green) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Cornel West (Justice for All) and four others .

US Senate: Cantwell (R) v. Garcia (R).

Governor: Ferguson (D) v. Reichert (R).

3rd Congressional District: Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez (R) vs. Joe Kent (R).

Other races of interest

U.S. House of Representatives, State Senate, State House of Representatives, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Auditor, Insurance Commissioner, Land Commissioner, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Court of Appeals, Superintendent of Education.

Past presidential results

2020: Biden (D) 58%, Trump (R) 39%, AP Race: Tuesday, November 3, 2020, 11:00 pm ET.

Voter registration and turnout

Registered voters: 5,478,504 (as of October 1, 2024).

Voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election: 77% of registered voters.

Pre-election voting

Votes cast before Election Day 2020 and 2022: Almost all votes are cast by mail.

Votes cast before Election Day 2024: See AP Advance Vote tracker.

How long does it take to count votes?

The first vote will be posted on November 3, 2020: 11:13 pm ET.

By midnight ET, about 81% of the total votes cast had been recorded.

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Associated Press writer Maya Svidler contributed to this report.