Several counties began mailing ballots last week, well ahead of the Oct. 16 deadline to do so. People have until Oct. 26 to register or update their address online. After that you can register at a county election office or voting center, including on Election Day. 

An enclave of Washington’s wealthy provided a backdrop Oct. 8 for a saucy debate on the merits and dangers of a ballot measure to erase the state’s controversial new income tax on millionaires.

The union representing staff of Democratic state senators in Washington has overwhelmingly rejected a new two-year contract, citing its lack of adequate protections for workers facing termination. 

Washington state’s minimum wage will grow by 60 cents per hour in 2027, reflecting the continuing impact of inflation and other cost-of-living increases on workers. 

In a closely watched decision, Washington’s largest union of state government workers has ratified a new two-year contract that provides no pay raises but avoids takeaways on healthcare and other benefits.

The latest forecast of state tax collections released Friday did nothing to brighten Washington’s budget outlook.

The state Supreme Court has invalidated a ballot measure approved by voters in 2024 that sought to slow Washington’s shift from natural gas toward technology like electric heat pumps.

In an unexpected move, President Donald Trump nominated Pete Serrano, a former state attorney general candidate from Pasco, to be the next U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington on Sept. 14.

With contract negotiations nearing a critical deadline, hundreds of Washington state workers recently walked off the job for an hour to highlight demands for wage hikes in their next two-year deal.

A last-ditch legal effort nearly succeeded Sept. 3 to knock a statement off ballots that characterizes how repealing Washington’s new income tax on high earners would affect the state budget.