WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington state voters will decide whether to amend their constitution to allow money from its long-term care insurance program to be invested in the stock market. This is the only statewide election in the Nov. 4 election, which will primarily involve mayoral races and other municipal races across the state.
The proposed constitutional amendment, known as Senate Joint Resolution 8201, would determine the future of the WA Cares Fund, which the state Legislature created in 2019 to help participants cover the costs of certain long-term care services. Washington State taxpayers fund the program through a 0.58% payroll tax that began in July 2023. As of June 30, the fund's balance was $2.5 billion.
Supporters of the proposal say that tapping into the growth potential of investing in stocks will ensure the fund's long-term stability. Opponents argue that private investments offer no guarantees and that market volatility could shrink the fund and lead to benefit cuts or higher taxes. Stock fell in April after President Donald Trump's announcement tariff increase announcement But recovered by summer.
The issue will be on the ballot for the second time in five years. About 54% of Washington voters rejected a similar ballot measure in November 2020, compared with about 46% who voted yes.
The state constitution generally prohibits investing public funds in private stocks and shares, but voters have approved several exceptions in the past, including for public pensions and pension funds, workers' compensation funds and a fund for people with developmental disabilities. The funds are managed by the non-partisan WA Investment Council, which will also oversee the WA Cares Fund if the bill passes.
Since 1966, Washington voters have considered at least 10 proposed constitutional amendments to exempt certain funds from the ban on investing public funds in stocks. Five of these measures have been adopted, most recently in 2007.
Only three of Washington's 39 counties voted for the failed 2020 measure: King and Whatcom, where it received more than 58% of the vote, and Jefferson, where it received about 52%. King is home to Seattle and is the state's most populous county. Pierce and Snohomish counties, the state's second and third most populous counties located north and south of King, overwhelmingly rejected the proposal, with nearly 60% of voters voting no.
At the 2024 general election, voters rejected a proposal that would have allowed workers to opt out of WA Cares, making the program difficult to implement.
The Associated Press does not make predictions and will announce a winner only when it determines there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race is not called, AP will continue to cover any newsworthy events, such as candidate concessions or claims of victory. However, AP will make it clear that it has not yet announced a winner and explain why.
A machine recount in Washington State occurs automatically if the difference in votes between the two candidates with the most votes is less than 2,000 votes and less than 0.5% of the total votes cast for both candidates. A manual recount is required for statewide elections if the margin is less than 1,000 votes and less than 0.25% of the total votes cast for both candidates. The AP may declare the winner of a race eligible for a recount if it can determine that the lead is too large for a recount or trial to change the result.
Here's what to expect on November 4:
How late do polling stations open?
Polls close at 11:00 pm ET.
What's on the ballot?
AP will provide the poll results and announce the winner of the statewide poll. Other elections will be held across the state, including mayoral and municipal elections in Seattle and several state legislative districts, but those elections will not be included in AP's vote count.
Who will vote?
Any registered voter in Washington state can vote on the proposed constitutional amendment.
What does turnout and early voting look like?
As of October 1, there were approximately 5.1 million active registered voters in Washington state. Voters are not registered by party.
Approximately 79% of registered voters cast valid ballots in the 2024 general election. Washington State conducts its elections almost entirely by mail. About 66% of voters delivered their ballots through a drop box, 33% mailed their ballots, and the rest, less than 1%, used other methods such as voting in person.
In the 2021 general election, only about 39% of registered voters cast valid ballots. About 56% of voters used drop boxes, 43% mailed in their ballots and 0.3% used other methods.
As of Thursday, about 244,000 absentee ballots had been received and accepted before Election Day. See AP Early voting tracker for the latest update.
How long does it usually take to count votes?
In Washington state's 2024 presidential election, the AP first reported results at 11:07 p.m. ET, seven minutes after polls closed. Election night results ended just after midnight at 12:07 pm ET with about 66% of the total votes counted. It took about three weeks for all counties to complete their vote count.
Are we there yet?
As of November 4, the 2026 midterm elections are 364 days away and the 2028 general election is 1,099 days away.
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Follow AP's 2025 election coverage at https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2025/.
Robert Yoon, Associated Press
