We are now within hours of the 2023 voting deadline where more than 3,000 local races and 128 city and county initiatives will be determined by less than half of Washington State’s 4.8 million eligible voters. 

Ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, November 7, or be deposited in one of the 600 ballot drop boxes by 8:00 PM Tuesday evening to be eligible. If you have lost your ballot, you can still vote by visiting your county’s “voting center.”

As in most off-year elections in our state, voter turnout will likely be around 40%. While the turnout number is disappointing, it does mean the ballots reliable voters cast this week will carry even more weight.

Why is voting turnout not higher? It is partially due to the uninformed opinions of naysayers.

We have all heard cynics loudly assert their opinions about voting. They say, “All politicians are the same, it doesn’t matter who the voters elect.”

But this does not reflect reality. We only have to look at the 2021 contest for Seattle City Attorney to prove that there is often a substantial contrast between how different politicians will perform in office.

Moderate lawyer Ann Davison was endorsed in the contest by people from across the political spectrum, including former Democrat governors Gary Locke and Christine Gregoire. While the radical Nicole Thomas-Kennedy, with her fanatical views on public safety, was endorsed by the Seattle extremists and Democrat Party organizations who previously filled the Seattle City Council with those who passed reckless measures to “defund” the Seattle Police Department in 2020 and 2021.

Fortunately for those who live, work, and visit Seattle, Davison won the contest which was decided by fewer than 10,000 votes.

As the new city attorney, Davison and her team have made significant progress in changing how the city responds to repeat criminals, drugs, homelessness, and prostitution. 

Soon after being sworn into her new job, City Attorney Davison placed special attention on prosecuting repeat criminals. These individuals were constantly spinning through the revolving door of the city’s liberal criminal justice system. Often, they were back on the streets within a few hours of being arrested.

Due to City Attorney Davison’s actions, these “prolific offenders” were placed in jail after being caught committing yet another crime. Thus, they are no longer out in public creating more crime victims.

If Thomas-Kennedy were in office, her extreme beliefs would have led her to side more with the criminals and she would have continued to make it more difficult to arrest and prosecute those repeatedly shoplifting from small businesses and robbing or assaulting innocent victims.

This year City Attorney Davison was at the forefront in the Seattle City Council finally passing a new ordinance so that her office could once again threaten prosecution to those who illegally possessed or publicly used such lethal drugs as fentanyl, heroin, or methamphetamine. Law enforcement uses the threat of jail time to encourage suspects to receive drug treatment. These ordinances saw immediate results the first day they were implemented.

If Nicole Thomas-Kennedy had been elected city attorney, it is almost certain she would have ignored the skyrocketing overdose death rates. Instead we strongly suspect she would have followed the disappointing actions of  King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion who stated her office would NOT prosecute those who were caught with these dangerous drugs.

On Sunday morning, Seattle Times readers saw another example of how electing Davison has impacted criminal activity in a story on how her office’s actions significantly reduced prostitution by shutting down two large Aurora Avenue hotels by declaring them “chronic nuisances” for supporting prostitution activities. 

This is a major change in the direction in how the City of Seattle responds to the growing sex trafficking and prostitution rates in Seattle. In 2020, the extremists on the Seattle City Council passed laws (which NTK supported) which made it more difficult for law enforcement to arrest those who were abusing women and forcing them into prostitution. This caused sections of Aurora Avenue North to become an “open air sex market” and a magnet for the lowlifes who profit from sex trafficking.

On the homelessness front, City Attorney Davison has added the City of Seattle to the growing list of cities and states asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower courts’ decisions which prohibited governments from acting responsibly to restrict homeless encampments. It is not certain how the U.S. Supreme Court will respond to the request, but we do know that if Thomas-Kennedy were city attorney, Seattle would not be among those asking for the court’s review.

Thus, on the important issues of drugs, crime, homelessness, and prostitution, there are finally a responsible elected officials (Davison and At-Large Councilmember Sara Nelson who was also elected in 2021) in Seattle who are seeking to make a change. It is no coincidence that progress is finally taking place on these issues.  This progress is due to voters electing the moderates Davison and Nelson, instead of the radical Thomas-Kennedy and extremist council candidate Nikkita Oliver.

This is clear evidence that it does matter who is elected. Moderate responsible policies will return when moderate responsible voters elect moderate responsible office holders.

Please take a few minutes and vote. And if you have the chance, please take the time to notify others (call, text, email, or post on social media) of why they should join you in returning your ballot before Tuesday’s deadline.

Momentum is moving in the direction of change.  This week’s election will determine if the momentum is allowed to continue or if Seattle decides to slide back to its self-destructive progressive policies.