AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Washington on Election Day

By ANNIE MA The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters in Washington will cast ballots for president, governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House, as well as several state and local offices and ballot measures. Most of those votes will be cast before Election Day because 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. That election also brought about the end of Gov. John Spellman’s term. He was the last Republican to hold that office in Washington.

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

Democratic U.S. 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 ballot.

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 predominantly by mail with limited in-person options available for voters who need assistance. Ballots are mailed to voters at least 45 days before Election Day. Mail ballots are not counted until polls close on election night.

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it has determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

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

Election Day

Nov. 5.

Poll closing time

11 p.m. ET.

Presidential electoral votes

12 awarded to statewide 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.

U.S. Senate: Cantwell (D) vs. Garcia (R).

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

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

Other races of interest

U.S. House, state Senate, state House, lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor, insurance commissioner, lands commissioner, secretary of state, treasurer, Court of Appeals, superintendent of education.

Past presidential results

2020: Biden (D) 58%, Trump (R) 39%, AP race call: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, 11 p.m. ET.

Voter registration and turnout

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

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

Pre-Election Day voting

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

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

How long does vote-counting take?

First votes reported, Nov. 3, 2020: 11:13 p.m. ET.

By midnight ET: about 81% of total votes cast were reported.

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Associated Press writer Maya Sweedler contributed to this report.

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Read more about how U.S. elections work at Explaining Election 2024, a series from The Associated Press aimed at helping make sense of the American democracy. The AP receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.