If you’re just tuning in, there is a primary election tomorrow, meaning you have one more day to get your ballot in the mail. You can also bring it to a drop-box location, though you will have to wait until November to find one on Capitol Hill.

The top-two primary will whittle the field of candidates in a handful of important state and local elections, including those seeking to represent Capitol Hill in Olympia and in Congress. Many of those candidates are also holding election night parties around the neighborhood.

Tuesday’s primary will narrow the crowded 43rd District race, where eight candidates are seeking to join longtime 43rd rep House Speaker Frank Chopp in the State Legislature. The race features an unusually deep field of candidates for the open seat. CHS recently spoke with each candidate about what they would do to address housing affordability and civil rights issues in Seattle. Read CHS’s past coverage of the race here. Capitol Hill’s Rep. Brady Walkinshaw left the post to run for Congress this year. The race for the 7th Congressional District also includes Pramila Jayapal and Joe McDermott. 

Other contested races on this year’s ballot include Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Auditor, and Commissioner of Public Lands.

Governor Jay Inslee and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray are also up for election, but neither is expected to face a tough primary battle despite the long rosters of candidates stacked against them. Chopp is running unopposed in the other 43rd District house race. In June the 43rd District Democrats made endorsements in most of the races, including Nicole Macri for House rep and Walkinshaw for Congress.

Voters will also have the opportunity to directly weigh in on two measures. Proposition 1 would renew the City of Seattle housing levy which uses property taxes to directly fund affordable housing projects in the city. The measure would double the existing housing levy—which has collected $145 million since 2009—to $290 million over the next seven years. This amounts to an annual increase by $122 for the median Seattle homeowner (up from $61 annually) as per city estimates. Initiative 123 would replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with an elevated park.

Here is a list of some of the Tuesday night parties happening around Seattle:

43rd District parties

• Sameer Ranade — Comet Tavern, 8-11 PM. Details here.
• Nicole Macri — Optimism Brewing, 7-9:30 PM. Details here.
• Scott Forbes — Party at Forbes’ home in Montlake, 7-9 PM. Contact [email protected] for details.
• Dan Shih — 98 Union St., 7-10 PM. RSVP here.
• Marcus Courtney — 910 Lenora in the South tower party room, 7-9:30 PM
• Thomas Pitchford — Party at Pitchford’s home on Capitol Hill. Contact [email protected] for details.
• John Eddy — Toronado, 6-9 PM.

7th District parties

• Brady Walkinshaw — Comet Tavern, 7:30 PM.
• Pramila Jayapal — Hale’s Ales Double Decker Room, 7 PM. Details here.
• Joe McDermott — The Alki Huddle Sports Bar & Grill, 7 PM. Details here.

Other parties 

• Yes on Prop. 1 — Optimism Brewing, 7 PM. Details here.