Initial LD 41 primary results released

Published 8:15 pm Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Janice Zahn and John Whitney lead the way in the Aug. 5 primary for the 41st Legislative District state representative Position No. 1 race, according to an initial round of votes posted by King County Elections that evening.

Bellevue’s Zahn (D) amassed 62.79% of the votes (12,708), Bellevue’s Whitney (R) notched 29.75% (6,021) and Mercer Island’s Vinita Kak (D) grabbed 7.26% (1,470) at press time. There were 39 write-ins for 0.19%.

The top two vote-getters in the primary will advance to the Nov. 4 general election.

According to a previous Reporter story, Zahn was appointed to her current seat in the LD 41, which covers Mercer Island and several surrounding cities, on Jan. 21 when King County Council unanimously voted to bring her on board. Zahn replaced Mercer Island’s Tana Senn (D), who was appointed in December 2024 by Gov. Bob Ferguson to lead the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families.

Results will be updated at 4 p.m. on weekdays until certification on the King County Elections website. Final results will be certified on Aug. 19.

King County Executive

For the primary race narrowing the competition for King County Executive, the two expected front-runners have made it through.

Girmay Zahilay received 40.39% of the vote and Claudia Balducci received 30.2% of the vote.

Other candidates included Derek Chartrand, Bill Hirt, Amiya Ingram, Don L. Rivers, Rebecca Williamson.

John Wilson was still listed on the ballot as a candidate, but ended his campaign after being arrested due to an investigation into stalking and harassing his former domestic partner.

King County Parks Levy (Prop. 1)

Early results show voters approving the King County Parks Levy at 70.09%.

The King County Parks, Recreation, Trails, and Open Space Levy is a not a new tax, but a replacement for the expiring parks levy. Voters first approved the levy in 2008, and have renewed it every eight years.

The new tax rate would be 23 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value for six years. For the average King County homeowner with $844,000 in assessed property value, the annual bill comes out to $194, or about $16 a month.

The proposed tax rate is higher than the levy voters approved in 2019, which was a little more than 18 cents per $1,000 assessed property value. Supporters note that the cost difference is about $3.50 a month.

King County expects to collect more than $1.45 billion over the six years of the levy to support more than 250 parks, 185 miles of regional trails, 215 miles of backcountry trails, and 32,000 acres of open space. Levy revenue makes up about 85% of the department’s budget.

FYI

Voters can track their ballot to see if it has been counted yet, check their voter registration and more by going to https://info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/vote/myvoterinfo/.

See all King County primary election results here: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/results/2025/august-primary-election