WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington state voters will decide whether to amend the constitution to allow money from long-term care insurance programs to be invested in the stock market. This is the only statewide election in the Nov. 4 election, primarily for mayors and other local government elections in the state.
The proposed constitutional amendment, known as Senate Joint Resolution 8201, would shape the future of the WA Care Fund, which the state legislature established in 2019 to help participants pay for certain long-term care services. Washington state taxpayers are funding the program through a 0.58% payroll tax that began in July 2023. As of June 30, the fund had a balance of $2.5 billion.
Supporters of the proposal argue that leveraging the growth potential of equity investments would ensure long-term stability for the fund. Opponents argue that private investments come with no guarantees and that market volatility could shrink the fund, leading to benefit cuts and tax increases. stock fell in April Following President Donald Trump Announcement of significant tariffs but Revived by summer.
This is the second time in the past five years that the issue has appeared on the ballot. In November 2020, about 54% of Washington state voters rejected a similar ballot measure, compared to about 46% who voted in favor.
The state constitution generally prohibits investing public funds in private equity or stocks, but voters have approved several exemptions in the past, including for public pension and retirement benefits, workers’ compensation funds, and funds for the developmentally disabled. These funds are managed by the bipartisan Washington State Investment Commission, which would also oversee the WA Cares Fund if the ballot measure passes.
Since 1966, voters in Washington have considered at least 10 constitutional amendments that would exempt certain funds from the ban on investing public funds in stocks and stocks. Five of these bills were passed, most recently in 2007.
Only three of Washington’s 39 counties voted in favor of the failed 2020 measure. He received more than 58% of the vote in King and Whatcom counties, and about 52% in Jefferson County. King is the home of Seattle and the most populous county in the state. Pierce and Snohomish counties, the state’s second and third most populous counties just north and south of King County, both overwhelmingly rejected the proposal, with nearly 60% of voters voting no.
Voters rejected a proposal to allow workers to opt out of WA Cares in the 2024 general election, which could have derailed the program.
The Associated Press does not make predictions and will only declare a winner if there is no scenario in which a successor candidate closes the gap. Even if a race is not called, The Associated Press will continue to report on newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. At that time, The Associated Press will clarify that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
In Washington state, a machine recount occurs automatically if the difference between the top two candidates is less than 2,000 votes and less than 0.5% of the total votes cast for both candidates. In statewide elections, a manual recount is required if the difference is less than 1,000 votes and less than 0.25% of the total votes cast for both candidates. The Associated Press may declare a winner in a race subject to a recount if the lead is determined to be too large to change the result through a recount or legal challenge.
Let’s see what happens on November 4th.
By what time does voting start?
Voting ends at 11pm ET.
What does the ballot say?
The Associated Press will provide the results and declare the winner of the statewide ballot measure. Other races are being held across the state, including Seattle’s mayoral and municipal races and some state legislative races, but they are not included in the Associated Press vote tally.
Who can vote?
Any registered voter in Washington state can vote on the proposed constitutional amendment.
What will turnout and early voting look like?
As of October 1, there were approximately 5.1 million active registered voters in Washington state. Voters are not registered by political party.
Approximately 79% of registered voters cast a valid vote in the 2024 general election. In Washington state, almost all elections are conducted by mail. About 66% of voters delivered their ballots by drop box, 33% sent their ballots by mail, and less than 1% used other methods, such as in-person voting.
In the 2021 general election, only about 39% of registered voters cast a valid vote. About 56% of voters used dropboxes, 43% sent their ballots by mail and 0.3% used other methods.
As of Thursday, about 244,000 absentee ballots had been received and accepted by Election Day. See AP early voting tracker For the latest updates.
How long does it usually take to count votes?
The Associated Press first reported the results of the 2024 presidential election in Washington state at 11:07 p.m. ET, or seven minutes after polls closed. Election night counting ended at 12:07 a.m. Eastern time, just after midnight, with about 66% of the total votes counted. It took about three weeks for vote counting to be completed in all counties.
Have you arrived yet?
As of November 4, there are 364 days until the 2026 midterm elections and 1,099 days until the 2028 general election.
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