It’s Election Day! VOTE! Our endorsements are here! Don’t wanna read all that? Here’s our cheat sheet! Your ballot must be dropped into a ballot box by 8 p.m. tonight. Find one near you at King County’s website. Forgot to register to vote (or never received your ballot) but still wanna participate? You can vote in person at one of King County’s vote centers which, here in Seattle, is at Lumen Field Event Center. It’s open today from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vote! Vote! Vote! Then get yourself a little treat!
Voter Turnout Is Low (Again): As of 8 a.m., fewer than 19 percent of registered voters in King County have returned their ballot. That will pick up today, of course, but it still might be low. Just over 40 percent of registered voters in King County bothered to vote in last year’s August primaries. Go vote! I know primary local elections aren’t the sexiest elections, but can you imagine how mad Bruce Harrell will be if Katie Wilson’s numbers stand up to his? SO MAD! He’ll hit a table, probably, because he seems to like to do that!
Stay Tuned to The Stranger for the Results: Members of The Stranger’s Election Control Board will be popping into all the election result parties tonight and reporting back the vibes, the food, and the reactions to the first results, which will drop a little after 8 p.m. Follow along! It’s fun!
It’s Smoky Out There: Seattle’s air quality took a dive yesterday when smoke from the Bear Gulch fire in the Olympic National Park started to blow this way. The air has already started to clear this morning. Keep an eye on air quality levels at fire.airnow.gov.
Speaking of Weather and Fire: We might get a smattering of rain this week, but Seattle is “6.5 inches below its normal amount of rainfall since Jan. 1 and 9 inches below average for the water year, which started Oct. 1,” according to the Seattle Times. I’m not an expert, but that doesn’t sound great! June was Washington’s third-driest in the past 130 years.
Density Is Coming: Yesterday, Seattle councilmembers proposed more than 100 amendments to Mayor Bruce Harrell’s One Seattle plan, which would build denser housing like three- to six-story apartment buildings in dozens of neighborhoods across the city. Some councilmembers, including Alexis Mercedes Rinck and Dan Strauss, hope to expand the list of included neighborhoods, while others are moving to trim the list down. “Think about the trees!” they say. Weirdos. The next public hearing is September 12 if you wanna join the conversation.
Epstein File Update: This morning the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the DOJ as well as former government officials like Bill and Hillary Clinton and James Comey, for all files related to the Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation. They have until August 19 to hand over all their shit.
Gov. Abbott Throws Tantrum, Threatens Dems With Arrest: Dozens of Democratic state reps in Texas have left the state to protest a special session in which the Republicans hope to remap congressional districts. The redistricting would convert five blue seats into likely GOP districts, making it easier for Trump to hold onto a majority in the House next year. The State House can’t proceed without at least two-thirds of the legislative body present, and more than 50 lawmakers have left, with many vowing to stay gone until the end of the session on August 19. Yesterday afternoon Gov. Abbott and the Republicans voted “to locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans.” No one snitch; let ‘em cook.
This is what is happening right now.
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) August 3, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Is Now the Time, Greg? Three people are still missing after deadly flooding hit Texas in July, killing 135 people. Now Texans are pissed (and scared and heartbroken and traumatized) because the State isn’t doing enough (or much at all) to help victims begin to recover. The disaster caused an estimated $18 billion to $22 billion in damages and economic loss and Abbott’s shitting his pants about congressional redistricting? Yesterday, the Houston Chronicle published this damning op-ed, calling Abbott out on his bullshit.
Today’s Another Short(er) Day: Today, August 5, will be milliseconds shorter than any other day in history, according to science. “It won’t be noticeable,” according to Space.com, but some experts are trying to understand why our planet has started to spin faster in recent years. (It’s called anxiety.)
Don’t Pick Below the Knee, Unless You Like Dog Pee: It’s blackberry pickin’ time! My very favorite part of summertime in the Pacific Northwest.
I took this picture this weekend at my secret spot in West Seattle. No, I won’t tell you where it is. Okay, yes, I will, it’s by the golf course on 35th Avenue Southwest—save some for me. I highly recommend Jerrelle Guy’s Blackberry Corn Cobbler. Make it for yourself after you vote!
Now, Listen to Sea Lemon: This Friday, Seattle’s own Sea Lemon (aka Natalie Lew) will headline the Tractor alongside Tomo Nakayama and Nathan Reed. Stranger Staff Writer Julianne Bell interviewed Lew for our August issue (on stands tomorrow!), and Lew talked about how giant squids and horror movies inspire her songwriting. Read more here, and dig the song “Crystals” which features Ben Gibbard on co-vocals—it’s swirly and haunting and kissed with just the right amount of ’90s vibes that make me think it should be on The Craft soundtrack.
