And now for the losers, Part 1

School districts come up short on bonds, Let's Go Washington goes 1-3, and restaurants whiff on minimum wage tactic, plus an update on some state Senate races.

In every election, there are winners and losers. We rounded up some of the winners last week. Today we look at some strikeouts—sometimes with the bases loaded.

School districts come up short on bond votes

Most of the Washington school districts that ran bonds to build upon or improve school facilities failed to pass the measures, even though in many cases, more than 50% of voters said “yes.” 

For a school bond to pass, voter turnout must be at least 40% of the previous election, and more than 60% of voters must approve the measure. That leaves such measures vulnerable to the cadre of voters who are at “no” on anything that raises their property taxes. Bipartisan efforts to overturn the supermajority requirement on school bonds, which is enshrined in the state constitution, flopped in the 2024 session. 

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