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♪♪

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♪♪

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-Welcome to the Seattle
Video Voters’ Guide,

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your chance to hear directly
from the candidates

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on the general election
ballot in November.

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This is a vote-by-mail election.

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Instead of going to
a polling place,

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ballots will be sent to
all registered voters.

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In this edition, you'll
hear from the candidates

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who will appear on the
ballot for Seattle City

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Council District 5, Seattle
Municipal Court Judge,

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and Seattle Proposition #1,
the Seattle Transit Measure.

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All offices included in
this guide are nonpartisan.

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Each of the statements is up to
two minutes long and unedited.

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The candidates appear on your
screen in the same order

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as they will on the ballot.

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♪♪

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First up, Seattle City Council.

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The Seattle City Council
is the legislative

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branch of government.

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Members set the City's direction
by enacting ordinances

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and passing resolutions.

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The council authorizes
expenditures, adopts

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regulations, levies taxes,
controls the finances

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and property of the
City, and performs many

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related legislative tasks.

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This year there is a special
election to fill the

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unexpired term in District 5.

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Only voters in District 5, which
is at the north end of Seattle,

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will vote in this election.

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The candidate elected to
this position will serve the

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remaining year of
the four-year term.

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This position will be on
the ballot again in 2027.

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-Hi, I'm Nilu Jenks,
candidate for Seattle

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City Council, District 5.

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I'm running because the
issues facing North Seattle

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are not being solved.

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Seattle is a deeply
progressive city.

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We have the resources,
the talent,

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and the votes to tackle
major challenges, but

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too often City Hall feels
feels disconnected.

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When the late Fred Meyer in
Lake City closed, my kids asked

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why nobody fought harder
to save it or replace it.

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I didn't have a good answer.

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Families without cars
lost access to groceries

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and pharmacy services
overnight, and our City

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had no real plan.

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That's not acceptable.

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My priorities are
straightforward.

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Let's start with public safety.

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We can't go back to the failed
policies of the last decade.

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We need a fully funded
CARE Department responding

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24/7 to behavioral
health calls, working in

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true partnership with the
Seattle Police Department

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and Fire Response so
every call gets the right

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responder. We have
let the mental health

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and drug addiction crisis
go on for far too long.

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We have to get people
housed, strengthen gun

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violence prevention, protect
immigrant communities

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from federal overreach,
meet our climate goals,

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and ensure ranked choice
voting is successfully

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implemented in 2027.

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From serving as a PTA Advocacy

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Chair to organizing one
of the nation's largest

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gun buyback programs to
working to implement ranked

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choice voting in Seattle,
my work has always been

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about connecting people
and delivering results.

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I'm endorsed by: the King County

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Democrats, the 32nd, 36th,
and 46th District Democrats,

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Washington Conservation
Action, the Working Families

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Party, the MLK Labor Council,
United Auto Workers, the City

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of Seattle Workers and
Grocery Workers Unions, King

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County Executive Girmay 
Zahilay, Seattle City

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Councimembers Alexis
Mercedes Rinck, 

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Dionne Foster, Eddie Lin, and
Joy Hollingsworth,

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Senators Javier Valdez and
Noel Frame, Representatives

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Darya Farivar, Julia Reed, Liz
Berry, Cindy Ryu, and more.

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And I would be honored
to earn your vote.

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Thank you.

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-Hello, my name is Julie Kang,
and I'm running for Seattle

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City Council District 5.

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I'm an educator, first-gen
immigrant, and a 30-year

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District 5 resident.

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I came to Seattle and
built my life here.

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I've seen what makes this
city special and how

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far we drifted from it.

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I'm running because Seattle
needs a change in direction,

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to be safe, affordable, and
full of opportunity again.

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That takes leadership that
shows up, listens, takes

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action, and delivers.

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My first priority
is public safety.

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I will enforce the laws
we already have, restore

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police staffing to improve
911 response times,

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and use every appropriate
tool to address

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violence and trafficking.

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I will demand results,
fewer shootings and

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break-ins, less trafficking,
and safer neighborhoods

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and business corridors.

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I'll tackle affordability
by streamlining permitting

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to build housing faster,
support small businesses,

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and bring affordable
grocery stores and

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essential services back to
neighborhoods like Lake City.

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As a civic leader, I have
a track record of stepping

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up to solve problems.

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When immigrant and small
business owners were

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struggling to survive, I
co-founded a community bank

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to offer equitable loans,
and we share our earnings

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with local nonprofits
serving our own neighbors.

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When families became
fearful about ICE activity,

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I worked to protect our
neighbors with information

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and legal resources.

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For 30 years, I've shown up,
listened, and solved problems.

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I'll bring that
leadership to City Hall.

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I'm proud to be endorsed
by the 32nd LD Democrats,

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elected officials, community
leaders, and The Seattle Times.

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District 5 deserves real
solution, not more of the same.

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I'm ready to change the
direction of City Hall, and I'll

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be honored to earn your vote.

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♪♪

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-Seattle Municipal Court Judge
Position Numbers 1 through 7.

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Seattle Municipal Court's
seven judges hear cases

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involving misdemeanors
and gross misdemeanors,

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including domestic violence,
DUI, parking tickets,

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and traffic infractions.

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The Municipal Court also hears
cases involving civil offenses,

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such as violations of the
City's fire, housing,

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or zoning codes.

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There are seven positions
on the ballot this year.

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Each Municipal Court Judge
serves a four-year term

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in this nonpartisan office.

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All voters in Seattle can vote
in each of the seven races.

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♪♪

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-I first walked into
Seattle Municipal Court

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as an eighth grader,
working on a school project

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about public defense.

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I did not plan on a career
there, but I have spent the

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last 16 years in that courtroom
and others across King County,

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standing next to people on the
hardest days of their lives.

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I've represented people facing
misdemeanors and people

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facing serious felonies,

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I've tried homicide cases,
negotiated treatment

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alternatives, and stood beside
kids in the juvenile system.

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That work showed me what
addiction, poverty, and lack of

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treatment do to a person long
before a judge opens the file.

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Municipal Court handles
misdemeanors, the lowest

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criminal charge in Washington,
but small cases still

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carry heavy consequences.

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A person can sit in jail on
a misdemeanor while someone

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charged with a felony goes
home that same afternoon.

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Judges lose the public's
trust when the punishment

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stops matching the charge.

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As a judge, I will hear
both sides in full and hold

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the prosecution and the
defense to the same standard.

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Before I order anyone into a
program, I want to see the

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research behind it and the
data on whether it works.

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The people who run those
programs should have a

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say in how they change.

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Accountability should fit
the offense and leave

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the person better able
to stay out of court.

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I am proud to be endorsed
by Seattle Municipal Court

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Judges Anita Crawford-Willis,
Damon Shadid, and Pooja Vaddadi;

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King County Democrats, the
32nd, 34th, 36th, 37th, 43rd,

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and 46th District Democrats;
former Supreme Court Justice

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Mary Yu; the National
Women's Political Caucus;

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Machinist Local 751,
Ironworkers Local 86, UAW

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4121; dozens of judges,
attorneys, and community

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leaders, and many more.

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I ask for your vote.

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♪♪

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-Hello. My name is Gabe Rothstein.

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I'm running for judge in
Seattle Municipal Court.

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I've lived on Capitol
Hill since 2003.

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I've been an advocate for
the poor and underserved

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for over 20 years.

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I started as a public
defender in 2005, a job

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I still proudly hold.

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My career has been dedicated
to advocating for real

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people in courtrooms.

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People who suffer from
substance abuse, poverty,

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and mental illness.

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The same kind of people
that come through

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Seattle Municipal Court.

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I believe that judges need to
be patient and compassionate,

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but also decisive.

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Being a public defender is
my full-time job, but I also

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work as a pro tem judge.

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A pro tem judge is
similar to a substitute

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teacher, but for judges.

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Additionally, I'm the
Chair of the Washington

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State Bar Association
Character and Fitness Board.

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On nights and weekends, I
take calls from youth access

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to counsel so children can
talk to lawyers, or for being

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interrogated by police officers.

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I'm also on the Board of
Directors of the Home and

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Recovery Center, an inpatient
substance abuse facility.

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I believe strongly in treatment,
in the accountability

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that comes with recovery.

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I believe in redemption,
and I certainly believe

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in second chances.

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If I've learned anything of
my work with substance abuse,

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the opposite of addiction
is not sobriety, but

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connection—connection with
friends, family, and loved ones.

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I'm dedicated to serving the
public interest, something I

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would continue as a judge.
Even before becoming a

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public defender,

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I volunteered at the
Housing Justice Project

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and the Unemployment
Law Project, helping

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Seattleites fight against
eviction from their

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homes and advocating
for their unemployment

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benefits. Working in the
public interest is also a

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family value.

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My mother worked as
a social worker in

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Harlem before going into
private practice as a

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psychotherapist. My father
worked as an educator for

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35 years in public schools
in the South Bronx.

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I was an EMT first responder in

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high school and of course
I volunteered for my local

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ambulance squad.

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I very much hope to
be the kind of judge

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my parents would
be proud of.

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Thank you.

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-Hi, I'm Garmin Newsom II and
I'm proud to be running for

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Seattle Municipal Court
Judge Position 5.

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I'm running because
Seattle needs better.

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Seattle can do more than
one thing at a time.

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We can care for and provide
treatment, counseling,

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and support for defendants,
and we can protect

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crime victims, survivors
of violence, and

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the larger community.

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Judges must have broad
professional and life

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experience, sound
judgment, and a commitment

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commitment to genuine justice.

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I've devoted my professional
career to public service.

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I've served as a prosecutor,
a Municipal attorney, a civil

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litigator, and currently as
a pro tem judge, and have

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over 30 years of criminal and
civil litigation experience

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in federal and state Courts
trying felonies, misdemeanors,

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civil matters, and appeals.

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My parents raised me to
work hard, have integrity,

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and care for others.

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I have lived those values
as a tutor, mentor, youth

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athletics coach, mock trial
coach and mock trial judge,

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King County Ethics Board
member, and as a volunteer

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who served meals and provided
for the less fortunate and

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elderly. I became a lawyer
to eliminate inequities

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and improve the criminal
justice system.

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Serving as your judge,
I'll help people

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get treatment, support, and
counseling to improve their

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lives while thoughtfully
balancing compassion and public

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safety. I'm grateful that
retiring Judge Willie Gregory,

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the only African American man
serving on the Seattle Municipal

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Court, has endorsed me to
succeed him, as well as

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Supreme Court Justices
Sal Mungia, Mary Yu, and

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Barbara Madsen, The Seattle
Times Editorial Board,

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00:12:28,581 --> 00:12:31,041
Democrats, attorneys,
including many public

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defenders and prosecutors,
and the most King County and

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Seattle Municipal Court judges.

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I'm also appreciative
and thankful to be

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rated exceptionally
well-qualified by the Latino

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Latino Bar Association, Cardozo
Society, QLaw, and the

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Joint Asian Bar Association.

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With your vote, I will deliver
pragmatic justice that considers

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the needs of the community
and helps defendants not

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return to or remain in the
criminal justice system.

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Vote Newsom in November.

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Thank you.

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♪♪

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-Seattle Proposition 1:
Seattle Transit Measure. 

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Seattle Proposition 1, the
Seattle Transit Measure,

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would dedicate funding
to transit services

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benefiting Seattle residents,
including more frequent service,

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affordable fare programs
for qualifying individuals,

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00:13:21,091 --> 00:13:24,637
reliability, access,
and climate projects,

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enhanced service on rapid
ride and routes serving

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regional centers and high
equity priority areas,

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facilitation of Sound Transit
expansion, and other services as

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provided in Ordinance 127-474.

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Proposition 1 would authorize
a 0.3% sales tax and use

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tax for up to 10 years.

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00:13:46,534 --> 00:13:49,286
The tax would replace the
current voter-approved

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0.15% sales tax expiring
March 31, 2027.

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The new tax would go into
effect April 1, 2027.

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-If you catch a bus after
dark, you know the wait.

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The schedule says 10 minutes.

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You stand there for 30,
and you get home an hour

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later than you planned.

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00:14:11,058 --> 00:14:14,019
On a good route, the bus shows
up and you forget about it.

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On a thin one, you plan your
whole evening around it.

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00:14:17,523 --> 00:14:21,110
Seattle voted in 2020 for more
bus service, and that money

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did what we said it would.

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Buses come more often on the
routes people ride most.

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And 10,000 of our neighbors
ride with a free pass.

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That funding runs out in 2027.

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If Proposition 1 fails,
the extra service we

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bought with it goes away.

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Proposition 1 renews the
funding for $29 more

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a year per household.

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00:14:42,673 --> 00:14:45,593
With this funding, buses
will come more often, and

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they will keep running later
at night and on weekends.

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The free passes for
Seattleites who cannot cover

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the fare will double, from
10,000 people to 22,000.

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For a family, a bus you can
count on means skipping the

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cost of gas or a second car.

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For a neighbor who stopped
driving, it means getting

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to the doctor without
asking anyone for a ride.

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Each of those trips is also
one less car in traffic.

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Vote yes on Proposition 1
when your ballot comes.

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00:15:12,995 --> 00:15:17,124
Proposition 1 is endorsed by
Mayor Katie Wilson, King County

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00:15:17,124 --> 00:15:20,961
Executive Girmay Zahilay,
Seattle and King County

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00:15:20,961 --> 00:15:25,966
Councilmembers, MLK Labor, ATU
587, King County Democrats,

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00:15:25,966 --> 00:15:29,345
Seattle Streets Alliance,
350 Seattle, Transit Riders

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00:15:29,345 --> 00:15:31,972
Union, Transportation
Choices Coalition,

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The Urbanist, FutureWise,
and many more.

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-Seattle politicians say they
care about affordability,

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then turn around and ask
residents to approve another

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regressive sales tax increase.

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Proposition 1 would double
the Seattle Transit Measure

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sales tax from 0.15% to 0.30%.

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That would push Seattle's
combined sales tax rate to

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10.7%, among the highest in
any major city in America.

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Before the government demands
more from taxpayers, it should

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demonstrate accountability for
the money it already receives.

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Proposition 1 includes funding
connected to Sound Transit, an

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00:16:11,053 --> 00:16:14,974
agency struggling to deliver
projects voters were promised.

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Ballard and West Seattle
residents have paid Sound

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00:16:17,851 --> 00:16:20,854
Transit taxes for years, yet
their planned light rail

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00:16:20,854 --> 00:16:24,274
expansions continue to face
massive financial challenges,

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delays, and uncertainty.

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At the same time, transit
agencies are leaving

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fair revenue uncollected.

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During the World Cup, at least
one-third of Sound Transit

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riders boarded without paying.

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00:16:36,870 --> 00:16:40,124
Why should taxpayers continually
be asked to pay more when

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transit agencies will not
consistently collect fares from

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00:16:43,419 --> 00:16:45,004
the people using the system?

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00:16:45,004 --> 00:16:48,340
Seattle families are already
being squeezed by the rising

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00:16:48,340 --> 00:16:51,552
cost of housing, food,
utilities, and transportation.

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Sales taxes hit working families
and lower-income residents

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hardest because they consume a
larger share of their earnings.

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Proponents dismiss Proposition
1 as just $29 more, but that

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00:17:03,897 --> 00:17:06,025
minimizes the real issue.

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00:17:06,025 --> 00:17:09,486
Seattle's sales tax rate would
rise 10.7%, and taxpayers

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00:17:09,486 --> 00:17:12,698
would again be asked to
subsidize a system that has not

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delivered the promised results.

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Reliable transit matters,
but so does accountability.

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City Hall and transit agencies
should prioritize existing

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00:17:21,665 --> 00:17:25,127
revenue, collect unpaid fares,
manage projects responsibly,

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and prove taxpayers are
getting results before

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demanding another tax increase.

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Doubling a regressive tax
is not affordability.

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Vote no on Proposition 1 until
accountability comes first.

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00:17:44,646 --> 00:17:47,441
-You've just seen all the
video statements recorded

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00:17:47,441 --> 00:17:49,985
by the candidates that
will appear on Seattle

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00:17:49,985 --> 00:17:51,487
General Election ballots.

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00:17:51,487 --> 00:17:54,406
For King County candidates
and issues, watch the

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00:17:54,406 --> 00:17:57,201
King County version of
the Video Voters’ Guide.

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00:17:58,494 --> 00:18:01,497
This program is a
collaboration of the Seattle

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00:18:01,497 --> 00:18:04,541
Ethics and Elections
Commission, the Seattle

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00:18:04,541 --> 00:18:06,376
Channel, and King County TV.

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00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,506
This will be a
vote-by-mail election.

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00:18:10,506 --> 00:18:13,509
Ballots will be sent to
all registered voters.

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00:18:13,509 --> 00:18:17,971
Look for your ballot in the mail
after October 14th and vote and

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00:18:17,971 --> 00:18:21,892
return it on or before
Tuesday, November 3rd.

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00:18:21,892 --> 00:18:25,062
Remember to sign the envelope
with your voted ballot.

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00:18:25,062 --> 00:18:28,107
Vote centers are available to
voters who need assistance

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00:18:28,107 --> 00:18:29,483
completing their ballot.

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00:18:29,483 --> 00:18:33,320
Trained staff and specialized
equipment are available to help

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00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:37,116
voters with disabilities cast
a private, independent ballot.

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00:18:37,116 --> 00:18:41,328
You can track the progress of
your ballot online and find

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00:18:41,328 --> 00:18:45,374
the location of drop boxes
or vote centers by visiting

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00:18:45,374 --> 00:18:49,878
King County Elections at
kingcounty.gov/elections.

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00:18:49,878 --> 00:18:53,090
Ballots must be postmarked
or placed in a King

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00:18:53,090 --> 00:18:56,135
County Elections drop
box by November 3rd.

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00:18:56,135 --> 00:18:57,928
Thank you for joining us.

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00:18:59,179 --> 00:19:02,766
We'd like to hear from you
about the Video Voters’ Guide.

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00:19:02,766 --> 00:19:08,397
To comment on this guide,
please call 206-684-8500.

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00:19:08,397 --> 00:19:12,943
Or email us at
ethicsandelections@seattle.gov.

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00:19:12,943 --> 00:19:17,156
♪ ♪