Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 5 |
| 1859 | 3 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 3 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1884 | 12 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1886 | 13 |
| 1887 | 8 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 23 |
| 1890 | 7 |
| 1891 | 32 |
| 1892 | 68 |
| 1893 | 30 |
| 1894 | 40 |
| 1895 | 42 |
| 1896 | 2 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1903 | 28 |
| 1904 | 18 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 13 |
| 1909 | 64 |
| 1910 | 20 |
| 1911 | 12 |
| 1912 | 4 |
| 1914 | 17 |
| 1915 | 11 |
| 1916 | 34 |
| 1917 | 10 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1924 | 5 |
580 stories matching voter
- The Political Weaponization of Voter Literacy
An editorial endorsement of ballot reform as a tool to disenfranchise 'ignorant' voters in both the North and the South.
- The Suffragist Who Told Olympia She Was Already a Voter
Bessie J. Savage tried to register in Olympia in 1895, arguing the state constitution had made her a legal voter. When the city clerk refused, she took him to court.
- A County Seat Fight With More Petition Signers Than Voters
Pacific County commissioners agreed to put the county seat up to a vote — then discovered that South Bend and Sealand had turned in 2,373 signatures from a county with barely 1,500 voters.
- The Tenderloin Primary: How Tom Humes Won the City
Corruption, colonized voters, and the struggle to reform Seattle's municipal government at the turn of the century.
- The Confusion of the Ballot: Understanding the Initiative and Referendum
Voters struggle to decipher the complex state measures governing lawmaking, recall, and public utilities ahead of the November 7th election.
- Kent Voters Prepare to Decide Future of Utilities
A pivotal election looms as citizens consider bonding the city to bring water and electric services under municipal control.
- Dry Forces Gather Steam in Stevens County
Backers of a local option election say they have more than 30 percent of registered voters signed on — and they vow to keep pushing.
- Nineteen Highlands Voters Stricken From the Rolls for Staying Home
A misunderstanding about closing time—and simple indifference—cost 19 registered voters their places on the precinct books in 1916.
- Counting Black Voters in King County
A Seattle reader challenges a claim that King County had 1,200 to 1,500 Black voters, offering a ward-by-ward count instead.
- 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.
- 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 Grape Carnival's Strategic Voter Drive
In a bid to boost voter registration for a port district proposal, the Grape Carnival committee is enlisting young women to trade registration certificates for voting power in the local queen contest.
- Walla Walla Schools Face a Debt Crisis
Voters go to the polls to decide on a massive bond measure to cover outstanding district warrants.
- The Fight for the Ballot Box
A legislative attempt to curb 'professional petition pushers' aims to ensure only legal voters influence state law.
- The Fight for Private Ballots
Spokane voters are demanding an end to the era of 'ward heelers' peering over their shoulders at the polls.
- The Colored Independents Demand Recognition: A Fight for Political Dignity in 1886 Seattle
As the city prepares to elect Frank Black as mayor, a newly formed club of Black voters secures a rare agreement from Republican leaders for political recognition, rejecting bribes and demanding respect in a segregated era.
- The Petitions Were Honeycombed With Fraud—So Voters Got Referendum No. 3
After the Washington Supreme Court described initiative petitions as a 'house of cards' riddled with fraud, the 1915 Legislature passed a safeguard now before voters as Referendum No. 3.
- Everett Voters to Decide on Single Tax Plan
The City Council has moved to place a controversial proposal before the electorate that would eliminate property taxes over four years.
- The Socialist Surge in Everett City Hall
Voters are turning to the Socialist ticket as a protest against rising costs and corporate influence in municipal governance.
- 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 1895 Plan to Photograph Suspected Voters at the Polls
A Washington legislator proposed stationing photographers at polling places to snap 'doubtful voters' and preserve evidence against repeaters.
- Voters Approve Bridge and Sewer Bonds
Tacoma voters select nine councilmen and approve massive public works spending during a low-turnout election.
- Voters Storm the Polls in Richland School Board Election
A heated school board race draws record-breaking turnout, sparking calls for more transparency in local governance.
- Voters Shoot Down High School Bond
A combination of Populists, skeptical taxpayers, and general voter apathy results in the defeat of a $125,000 high school bond for Capitol Hill.
- The Port Angeles Election Heist
After voters elected a Populist candidate as mayor, the city council took the law into their own hands and recounted the ballots to strip him of the office.
Also about this, in other words
- The Fight Over Who Can Vote: Half-Breeds and the 1854 Legislature
A heated debate erupts in the Council over whether 'half-breeds' should be granted the elective franchise, revealing deep tensions over literacy, race, and colonial control.
- The Drunken Voter and the Drain: Seattle’s 1876 Election Reform Ideas
While the 1876 presidential election left the nation in suspense, the local Seattle press used the quiet polling day to propose strict new moral and administrative reforms for the growing town.
- 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.
- The Politics of Poverty: Seattle’s 1878 Voter Suppression Fight
A century and a half ago, local officials tried to implement a 'poll tax' to restrict voting rights, sparking a fierce debate over whether a citizen’s right to participate in democracy could be tied to their financial status.
- The Battle for the Ballot
Despite false rumors meant to discourage participation, women in Seattle are registering to vote in record numbers ahead of the municipal election.
- The Political Machine and the Citizens' Ticket
A bitter look at local political maneuvering in 1894, as power brokers attempt to bypass the Republican ticket.