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90 stories matching elector
- 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.
- A Historic First for Washington Electors
Mrs. Samuel G. Cosgrove becomes the first woman in the nation to deliver a state’s electoral votes to Washington, D.C.
- The Unsettled Presidency of 1876
As the nation grappled with a deadlocked electoral count in the Hayes-Tilden election, Seattle residents read a deep-dive analysis of the constitutional chaos and the risk of a political breakdown.
- City Hall Showdown: Council and Reformers Clash Over Charter Revision
A heated joint meeting of the city council and civic organizations debates whether to call a special election for a new city charter, with accusations of bullying and claims of wasted taxpayer money.
- The Forgotten Ballot for Women’s Suffrage in Washington
In 1878, Washington Territory’s proposed constitution contained specific articles to enfranchise women and restrict the sale of liquor, marking a radical early push for civic equality.
- 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.
- 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.
- The Prosecutor vs. the All-Male Jury
King County Prosecuting Attorney John R. Bradshaw demands the inclusion of women on jury lists, citing Washington Territory’s progressive suffrage laws.
- The Forgotten Bid for Washington Suffrage
While the 1878 proposed state constitution for Washington Territory was largely a blueprint for governance, it contained radical separate articles granting women the right to vote and hold office long before the 19th Amendment.
- The Supreme Court Rules Against Voter Registration in Tacoma
A surprise high court ruling eliminates voter registration requirements for an upcoming special municipal bond election, sparking fears of illegal voting.
- Governor Hay Wants to Appoint, Not Elect, Washington's Officers—This Labor Editor Says No
A proposal to make state offices appointive sparks a fierce defense of the direct primary and the people's right to choose their own officials.
- Newport Will Vote on Going Dry
A Baptist church meeting launches a petition drive to put local option before Newport's 210 electors on September 7, 1909.
- 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.
- Who Gets to Vote in the Primaries?
Seattle's corporation counsel says registration is not optional—even for party primaries—and that election judges cannot waive it.
- The Electoral Crisis of 1877
As the U.S. teetered on the edge of constitutional chaos, Seattle citizens read the fine print of the bill designed to settle a deadlocked presidential election.
- The Day the Supreme Court Barred Seattle Women from the Ballot Box
In a pivotal 1888 ruling, the Washington Territorial Supreme Court officially disenfranchised women, setting the stage for a decades-long fight for political agency.
- The Great Jury Debate: When Washington Women Fought for the Bench
A landmark 1888 legal dispute threatened to strip women of their newly won right to vote and serve as jurors in Washington Territory.
- The Mudflat Standoff: A Political Tug-of-War for Seattle’s Waterfront
In 1872, Seattle’s local press accused the Territorial Delegate of suppressing a crucial memorial to cede Duwamish mudflats to the city for his own electoral gain.
- Shipping Voters Across the Sound: Tacoma's Imported Electorate
An organized scheme ships hundreds of men from Seattle to Tacoma by rail and steamer to register and vote in April's election — and it unravels when 150 would-be voters show up at a dock looking for the man who promised to pay their fare.
- The Name Debate: Why Seattle Nearly Became 'Tacoma'
When an Eastern Senator tried to force a name change on the future state, the people of the Washington Territory pushed back with fierce regional pride.
- Seattle Republicans Make Case for Lake Washington Canal in 1892
Republican leaders rally in Seattle to advocate for the Lake Washington Canal, framing it as the city’s essential path to commercial supremacy over rival Tacoma.
- The Pony Express Ends: Lincoln Wins, But the South Sees War
As the Pony Express delivers the shocking news of Abraham Lincoln’s election to a nervous Sacramento, Olympia residents mark local weddings and watch their market prices hold steady.
- The People’s Franchise: Seattle Rises Against the Streetcar Monopoly
In June 1899, hundreds of citizens packed Armory Hall to declare 'No More Franchises,' demanding that the city council stop selling off public rights-of-way to private railway companies without voter approval.
- The Battle for Washington Territory's Ballot
A fiery Senate debate in 1886 reveals the complex national struggle over women’s suffrage during Washington's push for statehood.
- The Election of '86: How King County Voters Rejected Woman Suffrage
A landslide victory in the 1886 legislative race reveals a deeply divided electorate and the intense political maneuvering surrounding women's right to vote in Washington Territory.
Also about this, in other words
- The Political 'Guillotine' Comes to Seattle
A scathing look at the rapid-fire political turnover in Washington Territory, where federal appointments fall 'like the leaves of Autumn' under the winds of executive displeasure.
- The Editor, The Gambler, and The Incorruptible Judge
A fiery editorial from 1876 exposes a local feud between the press and the judiciary, revealing a landscape of 'dance houses,' gambling hells, and political bitterness.
- A.A. Denny Challenges Ambiguous Indigenous Voting Law
A territorial legislator objected to unclear rules for Indigenous enfranchisement, warning that local election judges would decide voter eligibility inconsistently.
- Preparing for the Territorial Vote
Governor Elisha P. Ferry issues a formal proclamation for the November 1876 general election, including a critical vote on whether to draft a new State Constitution.
- The Fight to Tighten the Initiative Process
A landmark legislative struggle to regulate how Washingtonians propose and recall laws and public officials.
- The Socialist Surge
Everett voters deliver a shock to the political establishment as the Socialist vote gains massive traction.
- The Fight for the Ballot Box
A legislative attempt to curb 'professional petition pushers' aims to ensure only legal voters influence state law.
- A School Board Battle in Everett
A state representative refuses to resign his seat on the local school board, sparking an outcry over transparency and political maneuvering.