We didn’t know any of the Nov. 3 election results as we went to press this week, so we’re resorting to a bit of guesswork here. But no matter what happened at the polls Tuesday, all of us in the broad category of “news media” will have plenty to write about in coming weeks and months — not just regular reporting of results and reactions, but also analysis, assessment and, inevitably, speculation. Tallying the numbers is just the beginning. From the national media on down to the local community newspaper level, we have a responsibility to keep readers and viewers as well informed as we can, before and after monumental elections.
And for a mid-term election, Tuesday’s ballot casting exercise was about as monumental as it gets, while happening under the constant threat of being undermined with baseless assaults on the electoral system. Perhaps more than any other time in our history, democracy has been taken hostage and held for ransom.
Meanwhile, every part of the country has been impacted by the Trump administration’s string of disastrous, self-owning policy decisions and actions. People are hurting, and we expect that pain was widely expressed in Tuesday’s outcomes.
So coverage at every level matters. The other half of the marketplace-of-ideas equation is an engaged public. That requires making smart choices about what information to follow and how to absorb it — which further requires a lot more critical thinking than a good portion of the population has been willing to embrace.
The headlines are probably going to get a little crazy, even compared to what we’ve seen up until now. Putting aside (but not for long) the national implications of Election Day, Washington state’s voters were asked to deliver some critical decisions. Three contentious initiatives may settle some issues but not others, and as is often the case the effective outcomes may not be decided right away. At least one congressional district (the 3rd) was in serious contention, and while a flip to Republican there would only slightly alter the makeup of our congressional delegation, it might have more impact on which party ends up in control of the House. In our own 4th district, we are prognosticating that John Duresky will have closed the red-blue gap, but probably not enough to defeat Trump-endorsed Amanda McKinney. Duresky ran a credible campaign; McKinney settled in behind stale MAGA bromides.
For the first time in memory, the races for state Supreme Court seats were more politicized, with some potential changes at stake. What those might mean will take some time to play out.
In the state’s 7th legislative district, we’re pretty confident that incumbent Sen. Shelly Short will prevail, and our Olympia delegation will remain intact. That continuity is valuable to the district’s small communities that count on having a voice at the Capitol.
In Okanogan County, we may or may not have a new County Commissioner. A change would be significant, at a time when the county faces budget challenges. One way or another, we’ll have a new coroner. We may or not have a new sheriff. We may have zero, one, or two new District Court judges. It’s not often that those positions are even contested. All of the other county government elective positions were not.
Two consequential tax measures — a levy increase to support emergency medical services, and a $48 million bond issue for improvements to Three Rivers Hospital — were on the ballot. Electing candidates is an important responsibility, but there’s nothing that gets people’s attention like asking them to pay more taxes. At the same time, it’s an opportunty to directly affect our quality of life at a personal level.
We’ll be following up on all the local races as soon as we can. We’ll need to leave the state and national coverage to the bigger players, although we have access to excellent coverage from outlets such as the Washington State Standard. Our thanks go to the candidates and others who helped us with our pre-election coverage. Also deserving recognition are the many letter writers who helped us fill a couple of Opinion pages in each of the past several issues. It’s gratifying to see that level of interest and passion, without the vitriol that often taints our public forums. We are happy to make the space, and expect to hear more from you in the coming weeks.
