Washington elections, 2016

Welcome to the Washington elections portal for 2016. Scroll down for information about what 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.

While Democrats gained a numerical majority in the Washington State Senate, Republicans maintained control of the chamber due to a Democratic senator who caucuses with Republicans. In total, Democrats won 25 seats in the state Senate to Republicans' 24 seats. Democrats won 50 seats in the state House while Republicans won 48 seats. If Democrats had gained full control of the state Senate, the state government of Washington would have become a Democratic trifecta, meaning that party would have held the governorship as well as a majority in both the state Senate and state House.

Both the state Senate and state House were rated 2016 battleground chambers by Ballotpedia. The Republican Legislative Campaign Committee (RLCC) identified the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives as targets in the 2016 elections.

Washington has two U.S. Senate seats and 10 U.S. House seats. Incumbent Democrat Patty Murray was re-elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016. All of the U.S. House seats were also up for election in November. Democrats took six of the state's 10 seats, and Republicans won four.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D) was re-elected in 2016.

Washington is one of 26 states, as well as Washington, D.C., that offer initiative and/or veto referendum rights for its citizens. Nine statewide 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

Find answers to common questions about voting in Washington below.

• How do I register to vote?
• Is there an early voting period?
• Who is eligible for absentee voting?
• What are the voter ID laws in Washington?
• What time were the polls open?

General information about voting or getting on the ballot is provided at the following links.

• Voting in Washington
• Calendar of election dates
• Ballot access requirements

Official elections page: Washington Secretary of State - Elections & Voting

Primary election

See Primary 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.

See also

Footnotes