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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Vote

Now it’s your turn.

The candidates and their campaigns have spent months vying for your attention, tweaking their talking points and honing their messages. In the final weeks ahead, there’ll be more debates, campaign mailers and TV ads.

But it’s the voters who will have the final word.

Ballots for the general election should be in Washington voters’ hands by this weekend. They’ll need to be returned or postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 4, to be counted.

Most Idaho voters still cast their ballots at the polls on Election Day, but the state has lenient absentee voting laws and growing numbers of voters are requesting their ballots in advance.

Much is at stake.

Voters will decide whether to require universal background checks on all firearms purchases, including private sales at gun shows and elsewhere, or leave the issue alone until Congress weighs in. Control of the Washington state Senate could be on the line, with Spokane’s 6th Legislative District being a potential kingmaker. And in Idaho, voters will pick a governor and full slate of legislative and statewide officers, as well as county commissioners and congressional members.

Inside this guide you’ll find summaries of the contested races in Spokane and Kootenai counties. You’ll meet the candidates, get a brief overview of their positions and learn where you can find more information. You’ll also find explanations of the several ballot measures that will be decided next month, too.

It’s a starting point.

Additional information can be found at The Spokesman-Review’s online Election Center at spokesman.com/elections, and in daily editions of the newspaper as the election season continues building to its big finish. Most of the campaigns have their own Web pages and the Spokane County Elections Division has an online guide to the candidates and issues, and Kootenai County elections officials post candidate contact information for voters to use.

This guide was assembled by Spokesman-Review reporters Jonathan Brunt, Jim Camden, Nina Culver, Nicholas Deshais, Pia Hallenberg, Kip Hill, Scott Maben, Mike Prager, Betsy Russell, Tom Sowa and David Wasson.