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Seattle City Council Elections

This guide won't tell you who to vote for, but should help you make your choices.

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What's at stake?

The Seattle City Council has one citywide seat on the ballot this year because one council member was elected to the King County Council.

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Seattle City Council District 8

Position 8 is one of two at-large seats on the Seattle City Council, representing the entire city rather than a single district. Position 8 was last held by Teresa Mosqueda, elected to the King County Council in 2023 with two years remaining in her term. In January, the City Council appointed Tanya Woo to fill the seat in 2024. The winner of this November’s special election will hold the seat through the end of 2025 when Mosqueda’s term would have ended. 

Related reading:
Three progressives take on Tanya Woo in Seattle City Council race (Cascade PBS)
How Seattle council candidates differ on crime, taxes, homelessness (Cascade PBS)

 

Alexis Mercedes Rinck

Alexis Mercedes Rinck

Alexis Mercedes Rinck is an assistant director at the University of Washington working on state budget and policy issues. Prior to that she held engagement and policy analyst positions for the King County Regional Homelessness Authority and the Sound Cities Association.

She is running on a promise to seek progressive revenue rather than spending cuts to address the city’s looming budget shortfall; expand the affordable-housing supply and help keep low-income renters from falling into homelessness; and tackle the root causes of violence and crime.

Rinck has been endorsed by State Sens. Rebecca Saldaña, Noel Frame and Yasmin Trudeau; State Reps. Julia Reed, Nicole Macri and Sharlett Mena; and Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales. 

Alexis Mercedes Rinck PDC link
Alexis Mercedes Rinck campaign website
Alexis Mercedes Rinck State Voter Guide

Tanya Woo

Tanya Woo

Councilmember Tanya Woo currently holds the Position 8 seat on the Seattle City Council, to which she was appointed in January 2024. In 2023 she ran for the Council’s District 2 but lost to incumbent Councilmember Tammy Morales. 

Woo is a Chinatown-International District activist and business owner. During the pandemic, she co-founded the CID Community Watch, which conducts safety patrols and does outreach to homelessness encampments. Her family founded the historic Louisa Hotel, which was redeveloped into low- and middle-income affordable housing after a 2013 fire. She has prioritized public safety, police hiring and fiscal conservatism.

Tanya Woo PDC link
Tanya Woo campaign website
Tanya Woo State Voter Guide

Related reading:
Seattle City Council appoints Tanya Woo to fill District 8 seat (Cascade PBS)