Everything You Need to Know About the Sawant Recall (December 7 - socialist in Seattle)

The Stranger ^ | 11/09/21 | Hannah Krieg

[Libloather]

Unfortunately, election season is not completely over. On Dec 7, voters in District 3 - which includes Capitol Hill, the Central District, Madison Park, Leschi, Madrona, and parts of surrounding neighborhoods - will decide whether to keep or boot the council’s lone socialist, Kshama Sawant.

Here's everything you need to know:

When is the recall happening?

King County Elections will mail out ballots for the recall on November 17. Expect ballots to hit mailboxes November 19, and go apesh-- if they don’t arrive by November 22. (That is, check to make sure you're registered in the district and/or ask the elections department what's up.)

If you live in District 3 and you’re not registered to vote, then you have until November 29 to do so online or in person. Ballots are due in drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Dec 7. You can also mail your ballot (no stamp required!), but if you want to go that route you should mail it the weekend before election day to ensure it gets counted.

Why are we doing this again?

In brief, after Sawant won her third term in 2019, her attempts to join in solidarity with the movement for Black lives in the summer of 2020 gave her longtime political enemies yet another opportunity to kick her out of office.

Shortly after a group of progressives launched a recall campaign against Mayor Jenny Durkan for allowing cops to gas Capitol Hill, in August of 2020 a District 3 resident named Ernie Lou filed a recall complaint against Sawant, citing her “actions and policy proposals" and a list of Mayor Jenny Durkan's grievances.

[Libloather]

Lock her up.

[SunkenCiv]

She's a thug who belongs in prison. Partisan Media Shill alert.