Seattle Mayoral Race Hangs by Just 91 Votes
The Seattle mayoral race has entered one of its tensest moments in recent history, as candidate Katie Wilson now holds a razor-thin lead of just 91 votes over incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell. This latest shift comes after another round of ballot counting, and with nearly 8,100 ballots still uncounted or challenged, the final outcome remains far from certain.
On election night, Harrell enjoyed an eight-point lead, but as mail-in ballots began to be tallied, Wilson steadily gained ground. Her campaign had anticipated this trend, recalling a similar pattern during the primaries where later ballots favored her progressive platform. The latest figures show Wilson with 49.83% of the vote and Harrell at 49.79%, a difference so slim that a mandatory recount could be triggered if the final margin falls under 2,000 votes.
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The ballots left to count are primarily mail-in votes, and city and county election officials are continuing their work diligently, even over holidays, to ensure every vote is tallied. Historically, Seattle’s progressive candidates have benefited from later ballot counts, giving Wilson an edge as she campaigned on issues such as affordability and populist reforms. Meanwhile, Harrell’s campaign emphasizes his experience in City Hall and believes that will carry him to victory.
Voter turnout this year has been notable, even for an off-year election. Across the state, about 40% of registered voters submitted ballots, with King County seeing roughly 45% participation and Seattle itself recording 46%. The significance of each vote is underscored by the possibility that this election could ultimately be decided by as few as 65 ballots, a margin smaller than the number of people in a single apartment complex or a neighborhood coffee shop.
Former Mayor Greg Nickels highlighted just how delicate the race has become, noting that small numbers of ballots from neighborhoods like Capitol Hill or Madison Park can dramatically swing the lead back and forth. This slow, methodical counting process is not a flaw but a demonstration of democracy working as designed—ensuring that every legal vote is counted and every voice is heard, no matter how long it takes.
As of now, the Secretary of State’s office plans to certify the results on November 25, with a potential recount to follow if the margin remains exceptionally narrow. In this high-stakes contest, the importance of voter participation has never been clearer: in a city of 750,000, a handful of votes could decide who will lead Seattle for the next four years. The message is unmistakable—every vote truly counts, sometimes more than anyone could imagine.
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