Washington elections, 2016
Welcome to the Washington elections portal for 2016. Scroll down for information aboutwhat was on the ballot,election dates,voting, and more. Washington saw elections for the offices listed below in 2016. Click the links to navigate to Ballotpedia's overview pages for each of these elections, where you will find background, candidate lists, dates, analysis, and more.
Election results
In the2016 elections, Democrats won a numerical majority in the Washington State Senate, securing 25 seats to Republicans’ 24. However, control of the chamber remained with Republicans due to one Democratic senator caucusing with them. In thestate House, Democrats won 50 seats while Republicans won 48. If Democrats had gained control of the state Senate, Washington would have become a Democratictrifecta, with the party holding the governorship and majorities in both legislative chambers.
Both thestate Senate andstate House were rated 2016battleground chambers by Ballotpedia. The Republican Legislative Campaign Committee (RLCC) identified the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives as targets in the 2016 elections.
In 2016, Washington had twoU.S. Senate seats and 10U.S. House seats. Incumbent DemocratPatty Murray was re-elected to theU.S. Senate in 2016. All of theU.S. House seats were also up for election in November. Democrats took six of the state's 10 seats, and Republicans won four.
Washington GovernorJay Inslee (D) wasre-elected in 2016.
In 2016, Washington was one of26 states, as well as Washington, D.C., that offeredinitiative and/orveto referendum rights for its citizens. Ninestatewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in 2016. Seven were approved, and two were defeated.
Hillary Clinton won Washington's 12 electoral votes in the 2016 general election for president.Barack Obama carried Washington in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.See also:Presidential election in Washington, 2016.
Voting
| Dates | |
|---|---|
| Presidential primary dates | |
| Washington election dates | |
| 3/5/2016 | Presidential caucus (Republican) |
| 3/26/2016 | Presidential caucus (Democratic) |
| 8/2/2016 | State primary |
| 11/8/2016 | General election (nationwide) |
| Ballot access dates | |
| 5/20/2016 | Filing deadline for all candidates |
| 7/15/2016 | Filing deadline for write-in primary candidates |
| 10/21/2016 | Filing deadline for write-in general election candidates |
Find answers to common questions aboutvoting in Washington below.
- How do Iregister to vote?
- Is there anearly voting period?
- Who is eligible forabsentee voting?
- What are thevoter ID laws in Washington?
- What time were thepolls open?
General information about voting or getting on the ballot is provided at the following links.
Official elections page:Washington Secretary of State - Elections & Voting
Primary election
SeePrimary elections in Washington.
Elections to watch
- Washington State Senate elections, 2016
- Washington House of Representatives elections, 2016
- Washington gubernatorial election, 2016
- Washington Carbon Emission Tax and Sales Tax Reduction, Initiative 732 (2016)
- Washington Advisory Question about the Rights of Corporations and Money as Free Speech, Initiative 735 (2016)
What makes an election notable?
History
Presidential Voting Pattern
The percentages below show Washington voter preference in general election presidential races from 2000 to 2012.[1]
For more information, see:Presidential voting trends in Washington.
Washington vote percentages
| U.S. vote percentages
|
See also
Footnotes
Ballotpedia uses these criteria to identify notable elections:
- Incumbents facingmore conservative or liberal challengers
- Rematches between candidates
- Elections that receiveconsiderable media attention
- Elections that could significantly affect the state'spartisan balance
- Noteworthy elections involvingparty leaders
- Open, competitive elections with Republican and Democratic primaries
- Elections thatcapture money and attention from outside groups, including key endorsements
