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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 11 |
| 1891 | 11 |
| 1892 | 26 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 14 |
| 1895 | 12 |
82 stories matching precinct
- The Ghost Map of 1889: Seattle's Lost Electoral Boundaries
When the city commissioners abruptly sliced Seattle into eight voting precincts, they left thousands of residents in the dark about where—or if—they could vote.
- The Court Could Make Commissioners Act—But Not Tell Them How
A mandamus bid to split Martin's Creek precinct fails, with Judge Lichtenberg ruling the board already acted within the law.
- The Chaos of a Contested Election
Pierce County election officials struggle with poorly administered ballots, leaving dozens of precincts disqualified and the fate of legislative seats in limbo.
- The Price of a Vote in Tacoma
Corruption and 'barrel' politics clash in a heated Republican primary, as anti-Bennett factions fight back against organized vote-buying.
- Voters Denied a Voice in the Woods
A legal battle erupts as King County residents claim they are being disenfranchised by a failure to establish local election precincts.
- The City That Almost Was: The 1891 Annexation Election
A historic ballot reveals how Seattle once planned its expansion by absorbing the suburban districts of Salmon Bay, Fremont, and Latona.
- The Rainy Day Landslide in Duwamish
When an obscure race for road overseer became a test of precinct dominance, political machines mobilized hundreds of voters through a steady downpour.
- The Great Northern Election Heist
Democrats and Populists battle the county commissioners over a controversial registration district on the mountain range.
- The Battle Over Voter Registration at Martin Creek
A local judge rules against the King County commissioners, setting a precedent for voter integrity in a contested territory.
- The 1892 Election Results: McGraw Triumphs in King County
Early returns confirm a decisive victory for Republican gubernatorial candidate John H. McGraw, as local voters deliver a clear mandate in the state's most populous county.
- The Political Erasure of Lewis County
Citizens in rural Washington cry foul as the 1889 constitutional convention districting map threatens to strip their county of political representation.
- Pierce County Voters Reject Debt Validation
A tight election in Tacoma leaves the county's financial future in limbo after voters narrowly defeat a measure to ratify outstanding debt.
- Seattle Voters Weigh Annexation in 1891 Special Election
Seattle prepares to redraw its boundaries, drafting a massive list of local citizens to man the polls for a city expansion that would fundamentally reshape the region.
- The Swamps and Hills of Democracy
For settlers near Cottage Lake, a four-mile trip to the polls was rendered impossible by rough terrain, forcing a twenty-five-mile detour until local officials intervened.
- Precinct Politics and Dirty Tricks
A look at the chaotic and sometimes fraudulent methods used to select delegates for the upcoming Democratic county convention in Seattle.
- Seattle’s $15 Million Gamble: Voters Decide the City’s Fate on Jan. 26
Two historic special elections converge on a single day in January 1891: one to annex vast tracts of land including Salmon Bay, and another to authorize massive bond issues for infrastructure and debt relief.
- The Elective Franchise Bill Fails—With Indians Explicitly Barred
A proposed constitutional amendment in Olympia would have fixed voting rules for male citizens while writing 'Indians not taxed' out of the franchise; it died on the floor.
- The City’s IOUs: Seattle's Great 1892 Debt Reckoning
Facing a mountain of unpaid warrants and legal liabilities, the city council asks voters to decide if Seattle will settle its debts with bonds or face financial collapse.
- Seattle's Great Annexation Election of 1891
Voters head to the polls to decide the future footprint of a booming frontier city as Seattle proposes to annex neighboring Ballard and outlying precincts.
- The Great Annexation: How Seattle Stole Ballard’s Soul
A historic vote is set to determine whether the booming independent town of Ballard will be swallowed whole by its larger neighbor, Seattle.
- Democratic Factions Clash Over Convention Rules
Local committee members wrangle over primary rules to block or bolster the candidacy of James Hamilton Lewis.
- Two Offices Hang on a Pile of Double-Marked Ballots
Lawyers spend a full day before Judge Langley fighting over the sheriff's and coroner's seats, as Moyer and Van de Vanter trade technicalities over initials, stamps and hundreds of spoiled ballots.
- The Tillicums' Trick: How a Political Machine Fooled Tacoma's Democrats
A secretive faction called the Tillicums manipulates primaries, places decoy tickets, and doles out patronage jobs to tighten its grip on Pierce County politics.
- Ballot Box Battle in Goldendale
A tight election leads to accusations of fraud, lost ballots, and an appeal for funds in a county split by Populist politics.
- The Republican Party Fights Over Who Gets Counted
Seattle Republicans revolted against a county apportionment that gave rural precincts outsized delegate power, organizing a new club and threatening an indignation meeting.
Also about this, in other words
- The City Wants Its Fair Share: Republican Wards Revolt Over Delegate Math
Three ward clubs storm the county Republican committee to protest an apportionment that hands the countryside outsized power — and the committee adjourns without budging an inch.
- The Ward Clubs Revolt Over Delegate Math
Republican ward clubs across Seattle split over how county convention delegates were apportioned—and who got to name the primary judges.
- Spokane County Commissioners Fire Courthouse Superintendent, Demand Architect's Resignation
A dispute over incompetency and neglect of duty leads to a shake-up in the construction of the Spokane County courthouse.
- One Judge for Two Counties: Seattle's Judge Osborn Wants the Bench Trimmed
A King County jurist tells the legislature that twenty-four superior judges for thirty-four counties is money badly spent — and that a judge handling Seattle's docket earns no more than one deciding farm boundary lines.