Washington judicial elections, 2016
Nine seats on Washington's state-level courts were up for election on November 8, 2016, with a primary on August 2. Three seats on the Washington State Supreme Court joined six seats on the Washington Court of Appeals on the ballot.
The supreme court seats up for election were held by Chief Justice Barbara Madsen, Justice Mary Yu, and Justice Charlie Wiggins heading into the election. Each justice elected to the court serves a six-year term.
Judges Stephen Dwyer, Michael Trickey, Rebecca Pennell, Bradley A. Maxa, Jill M. Johanson, and George Fearing held the appeals court seats up for election in 2016. Each judge elected to the court serves a six-year term.
General election candidates
Supreme Court
Justice, Position 1
■ Mary Yu 
■ David DeWolf
Justice, Position 5
■ Barbara Madsen
■ Greg Zempel
Justice, Position 6
■ Charlie Wiggins
■ Dave Larson
Court of Appeals
Division 1District 1■ Michael Trickey District 2■ Stephen Dwyer Division 2District 1■ Bradley A. Maxa District 3■ Jill M. Johanson |
Division 3District 2■ George Fearing District 3■ Rebecca Pennell |
Election results
November 8 general election
| Washington Supreme Court, Position 1, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Mary Yu Incumbent |
57.33% | 1,577,495 |
| David DeWolf | 42.67% | 1,174,263 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 2,751,758 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| Washington Supreme Court, Position 5, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Barbara Madsen Incumbent |
61.95% | 1,679,786 |
| Greg Zempel | 38.05% | 1,031,698 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 2,711,484 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| Washington Supreme Court, Position 6, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Charlie Wiggins Incumbent |
57.49% | 1,535,554 |
| Dave Larson | 42.51% | 1,135,285 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 2,670,839 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| Washington Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 1, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Michael Trickey Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 632,098 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 632,098 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| Washington Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 2, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Stephen Dwyer Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 254,988 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 254,988 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| Washington Court of Appeals, Division 2, District 1, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Bradley A. Maxa Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 236,749 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 236,749 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| Washington Court of Appeals, Division 2, District 3, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jill M. Johanson Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 211,205 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 211,205 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| Washington Court of Appeals, Division 3, District 2, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| George Fearing Incumbent |
53.60% | 86,411 |
| Patrick McBurney | 46.40% | 74,813 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 161,224 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| Washington Court of Appeals, Division 3, District 3, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Rebecca Pennell Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 106,059 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 106,059 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State Official Results | ||
August 2 primary election
Incumbent Justice Barbara Madsen and challenger Greg Zempel defeated John Scannell and advanced to the November 8 general election.
| Washington Supreme Court Primary, Position 5, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Barbara Madsen Incumbent |
63.90% | 759,475 |
| Greg Zempel |
29.71% | 353,149 |
| John Scannell | 6.38% | 75,849 |
| Total Votes (2000 of 2000 reporting: 100%) | 1,188,473 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Race background
The 2016 election was the first since the 1990s in which all three state supreme court justices up for re-election faced opponents.[1] At least one justice in every election typically runs unopposed, but this year all three incumbents drew challengers. Republican state Representative Matt Manweller said he and other lawmakers actively recruited candidates to run against the justices.[1] This was partly because of the court's decisions in the long-running school funding case McCleary v. Washington, over which the court drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for holding the state in contempt of court, and in a separate case about the state funding of charter schools.
Those in favor of replacing the justices said the court has overstepped its boundaries into legislation and policymaking and failed to respect the autonomy of the state legislature.[1] In the McCleary school funding case, the court both found the state government in contempt and fined the state $100,000 per day until the state complied with the court's orders.[2][3]
In a separate case, the court ruled unconstitutional the state funding of charter schools right before those schools were set to open in 2015.
Satellite spending
The political action committee arm of the group Stand for Children spent $116,000 promoting the campaign of Greg Zempel, who challenged Chief Justice Barbara Madsen for her seat on the court.[4] Madsen authored the court's 2015 decision declaring Washington's charter schools, in their form at that time, unconstitutional. The legislature passed a new bill in 2016 that allowed charter schools to continue; opponents threatened to sue over this law as well.[4] Stand for Children's spending on Zempel's campaign was funded by several of the backers of charter schools who were opposed to the court's 2015 decision. The primary donors include Connie Ballmer, wife of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer; Reed Hastings, founder and CEO of Netflix; and Vulcan Inc., owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Vulcan and Ballmer were also among the primary backers of the ballot initiative that paved the way for the charter schools.[4]
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Washington
Judges in Washington participate in nonpartisan elections. Elections may be held in both odd and even-numbered years.[5] Washington is a vote-by-mail state.[6]
Primary election
Nonpartisan primaries are held only if more than two candidates file for a position.[7] The two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes in the primary advance to the general election.[8][9]
General election
In counties with populations greater than 100,000, if only one superior court candidate files for election for a judgeship, that candidate is automatically elected and the county does not hold a general election for the seat.[5]
State profile
| Demographic data for Washington | ||
|---|---|---|
| Washington | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 7,160,290 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 66,456 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 77.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 3.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 7.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.6% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 5.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 12% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 32.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $61,062 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 14.4% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Washington. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Washington
Washington voted for the Democratic candidate in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Washington, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[10]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Washington had four Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 2.21 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Washington coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Washington
- United States congressional delegations from Washington
- Public policy in Washington
- Endorsers in Washington
- Washington fact checks
- More...
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Washington court elections 2016' OR 'Washington judicial election'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The News Tribune, "Controversial school-funding rulings prompt crowded Supreme Court races," June 3, 2016
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Contempt ruling ups ante in fight to fund public schools," September 12, 2014
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "School funding back on table as court fines state $100,000 a day," August 13, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The News Tribune, "Charter-school backers spending $116,000 to try to unseat state Supreme Court justice," July 28, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Washington Secretary of State, "Judicial Elections in Washington State," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Elections & Voting - Vote by Mail," accessed July 18, 2014
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.52.220," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.36.170," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ Washington Courts, "Judicial Election Information," July 13, 2012, accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington
State courts:
Washington Supreme Court • Washington Court of Appeals • Washington Superior Court • Washington District Courts • Washington Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Washington • Washington judicial elections • Judicial selection in Washington