Overview
- Katie Wilson led Bruce Harrell by 1,976 votes in Wednesday’s 4 p.m. update, 50.19% to 49.48%, after roughly 1,900 additional Seattle ballots were tallied.
- Washington law requires an automatic machine recount only if the margin is under 0.5% and fewer than 2,000 votes; the current vote gap meets the vote threshold but may exceed the percentage cutoff depending on final totals.
- King County Elections reports hundreds of ballots with signature challenges that can be cured through late November, keeping the final margin in flux until certification.
- Harrell’s early lead of more than 10,000 votes on election night reversed as late-arriving mail ballots—historically more progressive in Washington—broke heavily for Wilson.
- King County officials estimate a mandatory recount could cost about $400,000; county certification is scheduled for Nov. 25, with daily count updates continuing until then.