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1. Twenty-Three Ballots, No Senator

   Washington's legislature spends the day deadlocked between Levi Ankeny and John L. Wilson, while George Turner withdraws and a bogus Tacoma Ledger interview roils the contest.

   Jan 29, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

2. The Resolution They Had to Strike: A Port Townsend Convention and the Warrant-Forgery Fight

   Jefferson County Republicans convened in Port Townsend, then recoiled when a platform resolution praised the prosecutor who had refused to pursue forgery charges against county warrant endorsers.

   Sep 9, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyCity Hall

3. The Ballot Box Was Too Full in Franklin

   Populists brought witnesses to court to show that votes in Franklin precinct were pushed, shaken and crammed into an overflowing box—irregularity, they argued, even if not outright fraud.

   Jan 4, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

4. The Ballot-Box Stuffing of '92

   When Tacoma's young reformers clashed with the political establishment, the result was a chaotic primary election featuring disappearing ballots, saloon-gang repeaters, and a hole in the ballot box.

   May 1, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

5. Fourteen Ballots, No Senator: Olympia's Revenge Caucus

   The 1895 legislature deadlocks over Washington's U.S. Senate seat — and John L. Wilson's beaten men plot a secret 'blind ballot' to bury Ankeny out of spite.

   Jan 26, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

6. Thirty Ballots and No Senator: Olympia's Republican Caucus Breaks Apart

   After thirty futile ballots, Wilson's supporters bolted rather than back Ankeny, leaving Washington's Republican legislative caucus deadlocked and King County's delegation exposed.

   Jan 23, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

7. The Political Machine in Old Snohomish

   A look inside the 1878 Democratic County Convention, where local power was consolidated, delegates were appointed to regional councils, and candidates for sheriff and judge were chosen by ballot.

   Sep 8, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall

8. Seven Votes Decide the Sheriff: Judge Langley Tosses Out Fraud Charges and Seats Van de Vanter

   After a six-week ballot-by-ballot recount, a Seattle judge ruled that clumsy election officers could not disfranchise King County voters—and confirmed the Republican sheriff by a seven-vote margin.

   Jan 13, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerKing County Courthouse, SeattleCity Hall

9. The People’s Ticket: Olympia’s 1891 Caucus Revolt

   A printed slate handed out at the door, a mayor booed as 'defeated,' and a second-ward protest meeting: the fight over who would control Olympia's city nominations.

   Dec 1, 1891The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

10. 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.

    Jan 11, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerKing County Courthouse, SeattleCity Hall

11. Fifteen Ballots and a Dark Horse

    A deadlocked Washington House turns to Whitman County's J. Arrasmith after Democrats and reform Republicans break the 1893 speakership fight.

    Jan 10, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWashington State Capitol, Olympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

12. The Caucus That Wouldn't End: Olympia's 1895 Senate Deadlock

    Republicans balloted again and again in a stormy Olympia caucus, while Spokane businessmen and Union veterans warned that nominating John L. Wilson would wreck the party in Eastern Washington.

    Jan 31, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWashington State Capitol, Olympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

13. A Senator Breaks Ranks, and Seattle Howls

    Senator Rutter abandons John B. Allen for George Turner, turning the 1893 U.S. Senate deadlock into a test of party loyalty and constituent fury.

    Jan 20, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

14. The Captain's Voting Mistake

    A steamboat captain accidentally votes for the entire Republican ticket while trying to vote against them, leading to a frantic attempt to retrieve his ballot.

    Nov 12, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

15. The Strict Rules of Territorial Ballot Boxes

    Before the secret ballot was standardized, Washington Territory enacted stern penalties to prevent election-day fraud, coercion, and liquor-fueled chaos.

    Nov 2, 1880The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

16. The Great Parliamentary Stall of 1862

    After ninety-seven ballots, the Council remains deadlocked, delaying the people’s business for a debate over regional representation.

    Dec 13, 1862Washington StandardOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

17. The 83-Ballot Deadlock: 'Either Allen or No One'

    In Olympia, John B. Allen’s Republican caucus held the line while Judge Humes and Levi Ankeny saw their candidacies frostbitten—and the ballots kept piling up.

    Feb 28, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

18. The People's Choice: Robert Miller Named Seattle Mayor in Historic Convention

    In a dramatic display of civic unity, the Republican City Committee bypassed traditional balloting to unanimously nominate Robert Miller for mayor, signaling a new era of reform and efficiency in Seattle's leadership.

    Jul 6, 1888The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

19. 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.

    Dec 17, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerGoldendale, Klickitat CountyCity Hall

20. A Withdrawal, a Broken Deal, and a Senate Nominee

    Levi Ankeny stepped aside, a rival bargain collapsed, and John L. Wilson rode a fifth-ballot surge to the Republican caucus nomination for U.S. senator in Olympia.

    Feb 1, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

21. The New Secret Ballot

    How Washington's new voting system is designed to curb the corrupt practice of vote-buying.

    Jul 24, 1890The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyCity Hall

22. The Election Day Plot at Black Diamond

    Election officials warn of a sinister scheme to disrupt the vote at the coal mines, prompting calls for citizens to guard the ballot box.

    Oct 28, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerBlack Diamond, King CountyCity Hall

23. The Free Train Passes That Kept a Senate Seat in Play

    In Olympia, a deadlocked legislature, a withdrawn reform candidate, and John L. Wilson's railroad-funded lobby decide who will represent Washington in the U.S. Senate.

    Jan 30, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerOlympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall

24. The Great Annexation Ballot of 1891

    Before the sprawling metropolis of today, Seattle held a massive, city-wide special election to incorporate its growing suburbs—from Ballard to Salmon Bay—into the city limits.

    Jan 5, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFremont, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

25. The Mothers of Richland Storm the Caucus

    Women turn out in force at Gibbs Hall, nominate Mrs. C. D. Hopper for council, and promise a bachelor mayor the fight of his life.

    Nov 25, 1915The Kennewick Courier-ReporterRichland, Benton CountyCity Hall

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