The November midterm election had record voter turnout in King County with 76 percent of registered voters casting a ballot. While there were many factors that drove turnout,  voters were also motivated by the four statewide measures on this year’s ballot. Millions of dollars poured into the campaigns for and against measures that would govern pollution, taxes on groceries (mainly sugary drinks), gun ownership, and police training concerning the use of deadly force. Voters were inundated with television commercials, digital ads, and mailers urging them to either approve or reject a given measure.

Statewide, voters approved all of the measures except for Initiative Measure No. 1631 concerning a fee on carbon emissions. Initiative No. 1634, which prohibits a tax on essential groceries, was the only measure rejected by King County voters. Let’s take a look at how the County’s six most-populated cities voted on each measure. Continue reading →