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Federal Budget 101

Who Decides the Federal Budget?

The vision of democracy is that the federal budget - and all activities of the federal government - reflects the values of a majority of Americans. Yet many people feel that the federal budget does not reflect their values and that the budgeting process is too difficult to understand, or that they can't make a difference.

And it is a complicated process. Many forces shape the federal budget. Some of them are forces written into law - like the president's role in drafting the budget - while other forces stem from the realities of our political system.

And while the federal budget may not currently reflect the values of a majority of Americans, the ultimate power over the U.S. government lies with the people. We have a right and responsibility to choose our elected officials by voting, and to hold them accountable for representing our priorities. The first step is to understand what's going on.

An Evolving Process

The U.S. Constitution designates the "power of the purse" as a function of Congress.¹ That includes the authority to create and collect taxes and to borrow money when needed. The Constitution does not, however, specify how Congress should exercise these powers or how the federal budget process should work. It doesn't specify a role for the president in managing the nation's finances, either.

As a result, the budget process has evolved over time. Over the course of the twentieth century, Congress passed key laws that shaped the budgeting process into what it is today, and formed the federal agencies - including the Office of Management and Budget, the Government Accountability Office, and the Congressional Budget Office - that provide oversight and research crucial to creating the budget.² The process as it's supposed to work is described here.

Before the Budget

Congress creates a new budget for our country every year. This annual congressional budget process is also called the appropriations process.

Appropriations bills specify how much money will go to different government agencies and programs. In addition to these funding bills, Congress must pass legislation that provides the federal government the legal authority to actually spend the money.³ These laws are called authorization bills, or authorizations. Authorizations often cover multiple years, so authorizing legislation does not need to pass Congress every year the way appropriations bills do. When a multi-year authorization expires, Congress often passes a reauthorization to continue the programs in question.

Authorizations also serve another purpose. There are some types of spending that are not subject to the appropriations process. Such spending is called direct or mandatory spending, and authorizations provide the legal authority for this mandatory spending.⁴ Federal spending for Social Security and Medicare benefits is part of mandatory spending, because according to the authorization, the government must by law pay out benefits to all eligible recipients.

How Does the Federal Government Create a Budget?

There are five key steps in the federal budget process:

1. The President submits a budget request to Congress

2. The House and Senate pass budget resolutions

3. House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees "markup" appropriations bills

4. The House and Senate vote on appropriations bills and reconcile differences

5. The President signs each appropriations bill and the budget becomes law

Step 1: The President Submits a Budget Request

The president sends a budget request to Congress each February for the coming fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1.⁵
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To create his (or her) request, the President and the Office of Management and Budget solicit and accept budget requests from federal agencies, outlining what programs need more funding, what could be cut, and what new priorities each agency would like to fund.

The president's budget request is just a proposal. Congress then passes its own appropriations bills; only after the president signs these bills (in step five) does the country have a budget for the new fiscal year.⁶

Step 2: The House and Senate Pass Budget Resolutions

After the president submits his or her budget request, the House Committee on the Budget and the Senate Committee on the Budget each write and vote on their own budget resolutions.⁷
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A budget resolution is not a binding document, but it provides a framework for Congress for making budget decisions about spending and taxes. It sets overall annual spending limits for federal agencies, but does not set specific spending amounts for particular programs. After the House and Senate pass their budget resolutions, some members from each come together in a joint conference to iron out differences between the two versions, and the resulting reconciled version is then voted on again by each chamber.

Step 3: House and Senate Subcommittees "Markup" Appropriation Bills

The Appropriations Committees in both the House and the Senate are responsible for determining the precise levels of budget authority, or allowed spending, for all discretionary programs.⁸
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The Appropriations Committees in both the House and Senate are broken down into smaller appropriations subcommittees. Subcommittees cover different areas of the federal government: for example, there is a subcommittee for defense spending, and another one for energy and water. Each subcommittee conducts hearings in which they pose questions to leaders of the relevant federal agencies about each agency's requested budget.⁹

Based on all of this information, the chair of each subcommittee writes a first draft of the subcommittee's appropriations bill, abiding by the spending limits set out in the budget resolution. All subcommittee members then consider, amend, and finally vote on the bill. Once it has passed the subcommittee, the bill goes to the full Appropriations Committee. The full committee reviews it, and then sends it to the full House or Senate.

Step 4: The House and Senate Vote on Appropriations Bills and Reconcile Differences

The full House and Senate then debate and vote on appropriations bills from each of the 12 subcommittees.
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After both the House and Senate pass their versions of each appropriations bill, a conference committee meets to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions. After the conference committee produces a reconciled version of the bill, the House and Senate vote again, but this time on a bill that is identical in both chambers. After passing both the House and Senate, each appropriations bill goes to the president.¹⁰

Step 5: The President Signs Each Appropriations Bill and the Budget Becomes Law

The president must sign each appropriations bill after it has passed Congress for the bill to become law. When the president has signed all 12 appropriations bills, the budget process is complete. Rarely, however, is work finished on all 12 bills by Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year.

This chart shows how all of these pieces fit together to make the annual federal budget process.

Continuing Resolutions and Omnibus Bills

When the budget process is not complete by Oct. 1, Congress may pass a continuing resolution so that agencies continue to receive funding until the full budget is in place.¹¹ A continuing resolution provides temporary funding for federal agencies until new appropriations bills become law. When Congress does not pass a continuing resolution by October 1, it can result in a government shutdown, as in 2013.

When Congress can't agree on 12 separate appropriations bills, it will often resort to an omnibus bill - a single funding bill that encompasses all 12 funding areas. The fiscal year 2015 budget was the result of a combined omnibus and continuing resolution enacted by Congress in December of 2014.

Supplemental Appropriations

From time to time the government has to respond to unanticipated situations for which there is no funding, such as natural disasters. In these cases the government has to allocate additional resources and do so in a timely manner. This type of funding is allocated through legislation known as supplemental appropriations.

It's Even Messier than It Sounds

So that's how the budgeting process is supposed to go. And while that sounds pretty complicated, in practice, it's even more so. Other factors that include the state of the economy, party politics, differing economic philosophies, and the impact of lobbying and campaign contributions also have a considerable impact on the federal budget process.

Endnotes

1. US Const., art. 1, sec. 8, cl. 1

2. Congressional Research Service, "Introduction to the Federal Budget Process," Report 98-721, 3 Dec. 2012.

3. Congressional Research Service, "Overview of the Authorization-Appropriations Process," Report 20-731, 26 Nov. 2012.

4. Congressional Research Service, "Mandatory Spending: Evolution and Growth Since 1962," Report 33-074, 10 Mar. 2014.

5. Congressional Research Service, "Introduction to the Federal Budget Process," Report 98-721, 3 Dec. 2012.

6. US Const., art.1, sec. 7, cl. 2

7. Congressional Research Service, "The Congressional Budget Process: A Brief Overview," Report 20-095, 22 Aug. 2011.

8. Congressional Research Service, "The Congressional Budget Process: A Brief Overview," Report 20-095, 22 Aug. 2011.

9. Congressional Research Service, "The Appropriations Process: An Introduction," Report 97-684, 22 Feb. 2007.

10. Congressional Research Service, "The Congressional Budget Process: A Brief Overview," Report 20-095, 22 Aug. 2011.

11. Congressional Research Service, "Continuing Resolutions: Latest Action and Brief Overview of Recent Practices," Report 30-343, 26 April 2011.

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The vision of democracy is that the federal budget - and all activities of the federal government - reflects the values of a majority of Americans. Yet most people feel that the federal budget does not currently reflect their values and that the budgeting process is too complex to understand.

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Special elections to United States Congress are required in the event of vacancies. This page is a compilation of all special elections to the 115th Congress in 2017-2018.

As of May 2018, there are five special elections scheduled - three to fill vacancies in the U.S. House of Representatives and two for seats in the U.S. Senate. Elections are scheduled for the following seats:

See more about the upcoming elections here.

There were seven special elections held for seats in Congress in 2017-six for U.S. House seats and one for a U.S. Senate seat. In the six U.S. House races, five seats were previously held by Republicans and one was previously held by a Democrat. None of the seats changed partisan control in the special elections, meaning there were five Republican holds and one Democratic hold. In the U.S. Senate special election, Democrats took control of the Alabama seat previously held by Jeff Sessions (R).

Read about the special elections that have already occurred here.

Special elections to Congress occur when a legislator resigns or is removed from office. Depending on the specific state laws governing vacancies, a state can either hold an election within the same calendar year or wait until the next regularly scheduled election. For the purposes of our coverage of Congressional special elections, we will feature all special elections pertaining to the 115th Congress on one page. Some of these special elections occurred in 2017, and others will take place in 2018.

Featured special election

See also: Arizona's 8th Congressional District special election, 2018

Former state Sen. Debbie Lesko (R) defeated physician Hiral Tipirneni (D) in the April 24, 2018 special election to fill the seat left vacant by incumbent Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.).

The district is Republican-leaning, having backed the Republican presidential nominee by 20 points or more in the three prior election cycles.

After Democrat Conor Lamb's victory in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District special election in March, the National Republican Congressional Committee, Congressional Leadership Fund, and Republican National Committee each launched six-figure media or voter outreach campaigns to support Lesko's bid. Republican groups spent nearly $900,000 in total a week before the election.

Race ratings

Arizona's 8th Congressional District special election, 2018

Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Special elections

Announced special elections

The table below lists the announced special elections to the 115th United States Congress:

District

Prior Incumbent

Primary Date

General Election Candidates

Election Date

Winner

Partisan Switch?

Prior special elections

Background

From 2000 to 2018, partisan control of the U.S. Senate changed four times. Republicans controlled the chamber entering 2000. Democrats temporarily took a one-vote majority in the Senate after Vermont Sen. Jim Jeffords decided to leave the Republican Party, serve as an independent, and caucus with the Democrats in 2001. Shortly before the 2002 midterm election, however, Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone (D) was killed in a plane crash. His replacement, former Vice President Walter Mondale (D), was defeated by Norm Coleman (R). Following the midterm election, Coleman became the 51st Republican senator. In 2005 and 2006, Republicans reached a high of 55 seats compared to the Democrats' 45.

Republicans lost control of the Senate in 2007 following the previous year's midterm election. Democrats won a 51-49 majority that year, which grew to a 59-41 split in 2010. The Senate changed hands again following the 2014 midterm election, and Republicans held a 54-46 majority in 2015 and 2016. This majority fell to a 52-48 split in 2017, and with the special election victory of Alabama Sen. Doug Jones (D) shrinking the Republican majority to 51-49 in 2018, partisan control of the Senate is at risk of changing as a result of the 2018 elections.

If partisan control of the chamber does change in part because of Jones' win, it would be another instance of the Senate majority shifting due to unexpected circumstances. A historical example of this would be 1953, when the Republican majority in the Senate shrank to 48-47 after Oregon Sen. Wayne Morse left the Republican Party to become an independent. Nine senators died from 1953 to 1955. When Ohio Sen. Robert Taft (R) died during the summer of 1953, a Democrat was appointed to replace him, which gave the Democratic Party a one-vote majority. The following summer, Wyoming Sen. Lester Hunt (D) committed suicide and a Republican was appointed to replace him. This flipped the majority back into Republican control.

Did you know?

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Special elections to the 115th United States Congress (2017-2018) - Ballotpedia

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Special elections to United States Congress are required in the event of vacancies. This page is a compilation of all special elections to the 115th Congress in 2017-2018. As of May 2018, there are five special elections scheduled - three to fill vacancies in the U.S.

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Special elections took place in the Washington State Senate and Washington House of Representatives on November 7, 2017, in order to address eight vacated seats between the two chambers. The vacated seats included five seats in the state Senate and three seats in the state House.

The competitive nature of the Senate District 45 race afforded Democrats the opportunity to gain control of the chamber. Democrats held a numerical majority in the Senate prior to the special elections. However, because Senator Tim Sheldon (D) caucused with the GOP, Republicans maintained effective control of the chamber. Manka Dhingra (D) defeated Jinyoung Lee Englund (R) in the Senate District 45 general election. For more information on the District 45 race, .

Dhingra was sworn into office on November 29, 2017. Her swearing-in gave Democrats full control of the state Senate and a state government trifecta in Washington. Single-party control of state government allows for the controlling party to more easily pursue their legislative agenda. The Seattle Times reported climate change, gun regulations, a more progressive tax structure, and new state revenue for schools and other programs as key issues for the Washington Democrats.

Campaign finance reports at the time of the election showed that nearly $9 million had been spent on the District 45 race. The Dhingra campaign and Englund campaign spent a combined $2.8 million in direct contributions. The elections in 2014 and 2010 saw candidates raising a combined $1.5 million and $710,000 respectively. In 2017, another $5.8 million was spent in independent expenditures between the two general election candidates. Of the $5.8 million spent in independent expenditures, $4.2 million was spent in opposition to either campaign.

How vacancies are filled in Washington

If there is a vacancy in the Washington State Legislature, the board of county commissioners where the vacant seat is located has the responsibility to select a replacement. The state central committee of the political party that last held the seat must submit a list of three candidates to the board of county commissioners representing the vacant district. A selection must be made within 60 days after the vacancy occurred. The person appointed will hold the seat until his or her successor is elected at the next general or special election in November.

See sources: Washington Const. Art. 2, Sec. 15

About the legislature

The Washington State Legislature is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, with 98 representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 senators. The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2016 elections. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).

Special elections

The following table details results of the 2016 elections by legislative district in Washington. The "Control prior" and "Control after" columns describe the partisan control of each seat before and after the November 2017 special elections. The "2016 presidential" column describes the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates within the legislative district. The "2016 legislative" column describes the margin of victory for that seat in 2016.

Click [show] below the table for additional details on each special election.

District 45 Elections: 1998 - 2016

Election Year:

1998

2002

2006

2010

2014

Winning Party:

R

R

D

R

R

Margin of victory:

R+17.8

R+100

D+5.9

R+1.8

R+5.4

Source: Washington Secretary of State

Washington Senate District 45 Campaign Finance

Candidate

Total Raised

Total Spent

IE Supporting

IE Opposing

Manka Dhingra

$1,454,074.53

$1,382,547.02

$772,568.02

$2,279,117.47

Jinyoung Lee Englund

$1,528,549.90

$1,467,622.48

$684,207.30

$1,678,350.09

Parker Harris

$3,282

$2,467.36

$0.00

$0.00

Total

$2,985,906.43

$2,852,636.86

$1,456,775.32

$3,957,467.56

August 1 primary election candidates:

November 7 special election candidates:

What was at stake

Partisan control of the Washington State Senate was at stake in the November 7 special election. Democrats held a numerical majority in the Senate prior to the special elections. However, because Senator Tim Sheldon (D) caucused with the GOP, Republicans maintained effective control of the chamber. Senate District 45, which had the greatest likelihood of being a closely contested race, afforded Democrats the opportunity to gain control of the chamber. Single-party control of the state Senate, state House, as governorship allows for the controlling party to more easily pursue their legislative agenda. The Seattle Times reported climate change, gun regulations, a more progressive tax structure, and new state revenue for schools and other programs as key issues for the Washington Democrats. For Republicans, controlling the Senate meant a check on the agenda of House Democrats and Governor Jay Inslee. Republicans campaigned against a state income tax, pointing to a recent measure approved by the Seattle City Council that would implement a 2.25 percent tax on income above $250,000.

Majority control of the state House was not at stake in the 2017 special elections. Democrats held a 50-48 majority in the House heading into the special elections. Republicans were defending their seats in two of the three state House elections, and no Republican candidates filed for the third election, which was in House District 48.

Political context of the Senate District 45 special election

The special general election for District 45 was held on November 7, 2017, with Manka Dhingra (D) defeating Jinyoung Lee Englund (R). Dhingra and Englund defeated Parker Harris (I) in the top-two primary. Dhingra won 51.5 percent of the vote in the primary compared to 41.5 percent earned by Englund. A survey released by Myers Research & Strategic Services in late-September showed similar results as the primary election, with Dhingra at a 51-41 lead over Englund. The seat was left vacant after Andy Hill (R) passed away due to lung cancer. Dino Rossi (R) was appointed to fill the vacancy until the November election.

Washington State Senate, District 45, Special Election, 2017

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Manka Dhingra

55.4%

27,755

Republican

Jinyoung Lee Englund

44.6%

22,361

Total Votes 50,116

Senate District 45 held highly competitive elections in 2014 and 2010. Senator Andy Hill (R) won those elections with 52.7 percent and 51.0 percent of the vote, respectively. Democrats last held Senate District 45 after the 2006 elections. Eric Oemig (D) won the 2006 election with 52.9 percent of the vote, but lost his re-election bid to Hill in 2010.

In the 2016 elections, Hillary Clinton (D) carried 64.8 percent of the vote in Washington State Senate District 45. Donald Trump (R) earned 28.0 percent of the vote in the district. Both state House seats in District 45 are held by Democrats.

Senate District 45 includes Duvall, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, and Woodinville. The district is located in King County and is northeast of Seattle. There are 141,000 residents in the district, and 105,000 of those residents are of voting age. White residents make up 76.5 percent of the population followed by Asian residents at 13.4 percent.

Campaign finance

As of October 31, 2017, Dhingra had raised $1,454,000 in campaign contributions, while Englund had raised $1,528,000. At that same time, Dhingra had spent $1,382,000 while Englund had spent $1,467,000. In 2014, incumbent Andy Hill (R) raised $1,042,000 while his Democratic challenger raised $508,000. In 2010, Hill raised $420,000 while his Democratic challenger raised $290,000. Hill won those elections with 52.7 percent and 51.0 percent of the vote respectively.

Independent expenditures amounted to $772,000 in favor of Dhingra and $2,279,000 in opposition to the Democratic candidate. Independent expenditures towards Englund amounted to $684,000 in support and $1,678,000 in opposition. Independent expenditures are political communications that expressly advocate for the election or defeat of a specific candidate. These expenditures are made by individuals, political committees, Super PACs, qualified nonprofit corporations, corporations, and labor unions that are unable to coordinate with candidate campaigns involved in the election.

The following table details campaign finance dollar amounts as of October 31, 2017.

Manka Dhingra's professional experience includes working as a senior deputy prosecuting attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. She earned her B.A. in history and political science from the University of California at Berkley. Dhingra earned her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law and began working as a prosecutor in January 2000.

Jinyoung Lee Englund's professional experience includes working as an aide on the leadership staff for Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers and as vice president of strategy for the Digital Currency Council. She earned her B.A. in comparative history of ideas from the University of Washington.

Campaign media

Manka Dhingra

Dhingra's campaign ads can be found on her website, here.
Jinyoung Lee Englund
Seattle City Club debate

Dhingra and Englund participated in a luncheon debate on October 10, 2017. The debate was held by the Seattle City Club at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond, with KIRO 7 moderating and filming the event. A video of the debate can be seen here.

A brief history of Washington politics

In elections from the mid-1990s to 2016, Washington generally leaned towards the Democratic Party. Democrats held majorities in the state Senate and state House in most years during that time period. The Democratic majority in the state Senate was disrupted after the 2012 elections, when coalitions formed between the Republican caucus and some Democratic senators. Those coalitions gave effective control of the chamber to Republicans. Republicans held the state House in the mid-1990s until the chamber moved to a split balance after the 1998 elections. Democrats gained control of the state House in 2002. Washington voters have elected all Democratic governors during the same period.

Heading into the special election, Washington was one of 19 states under divided government. The state Senate being in play afforded Democrats the opportunity to gain a trifecta. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe single party government, when one political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state house in a state's government. The 2016 elections resulted in six Democratic trifectas, 25 Republican trifectas, and 19 states under divided government.

Washington State Senate history

Between 1992 and 2016, partisan control of the Washington State Senate fluctuated, swinging back and forth between the Democratic and Republican parties. Between 2012 and 2016, the chamber also saw the rise of a governing coalition involving the Republican caucus and members of the Democratic Party. The table below shows the partisan history of the Washington State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2016. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

From 1992 to 2004, the Democratic and Republican parties both claimed relatively small majorities, the largest being from 1992 to 1994 and 1998 to 2000 when Democrats had seven-member majorites. The Democratic majority spiked following the 2006 election when the party managed to flip six seats, giving Democrats a 32-17 majority. 2006 was an election wave year for Democrats and saw them retake control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years.

The Democratic majority in the state Senate steadily decreased between 2010 and 2016. In 2014, Republicans established a numerical majority in the chamber, their first since 2002. Like in 2006, party control of the Washington State Senate followed national trends during these years. Throughout the presidency of Barack Obama (D), from 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced significant losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together. Overall, the Washington State Senate trended toward Republicans in elections from 2008 to 2016.

It was during this period-2012 to 2016-that the state Senate saw the emergence of governing coalitions. Following the 2012 elections, Democrats in the Washington Senate had a 26-23 majority. Two Democrats, however, joined with all 23 Senate Republicans to create a 25-24 coalition majority. The two Democrats, Tim Sheldon and Rodney Tom, became president pro tempore and majority leader, respectively. Republicans had a 25-24 majority without the coalition in 2015 and 2016. Republican Pam Roach, with the help of Democrats and Republicans, won the president pro tempore position in 2015. In the 2016 election, that majority flipped to the Democrats, but, because of Sheldon, Republicans were able to maintain a slim 25-24 majority. On January 6, 2017, Republicans announced plans to back Sheldon for president pro tempore. In the Washington Senate, the lieutenant governor is the presiding officer and casts votes in cases of ties. The president pro tempore, a regular voting member of the chamber, presides in the lieutenant governor's absence and generally serves as vice chair of the Senate Rules Committee.

2017 state budget conflict

In 2017, Washington was one of six states that were on the verge of a partial government shutdown or faced potential spending cuts to nonessential government services. State governments establish annual spending and revenue levels by agreeing on a budget, a process that involves both the legislative and executive branches of government. For 46 states, budgets operate along fiscal years that run from July 1 to June 30-the four states that operate along other timelines are New York, Texas, Alabama, and Michigan. When a state's legislative and executive branches fail to settle on a budget agreement before the end of a fiscal year, this sometimes results in cuts to government services or partial government shutdowns in which nonessential services cease to operate until a budget deal is reached. Nonessential services include things like Bureau of Motor Vehicle branches, state parks, and state lotteries. Read below about the details of Washington's near government shutdown in 2017.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed into law a two-year $43.7 billion operating budget at 11:00 pm on June 30, allowing the state to enter into the 2018 fiscal year on July 1 with a spending plan in place. Without it, Washington would have experienced its first-ever partial government shutdown. Budget negotiations in Washington throughout 2017 centered largely on the issue of funding education. In 2012, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that the state was underfunding education and required the legislature to ensure full funding for K-12 education by 2018. Inslee and Democratic lawmakers in the state proposed tax increases to bolster funding for education, while Republican lawmakers argued that the state could meet most of the requirements of the 2012 state Supreme Court ruling without significant tax increases throughout the state as a whole. The final budget agreement provided an additional $7.3 billion for education funding in the state between 2018 and 2021 and included a Republican-backed plan to increase property taxes in areas such as King County, where the city of Seattle is located. An analysis of the plan showed that residents in 185 school districts would see property taxes decreases over the next four years, while 100 districts would property taxes increase. The House supported the bill 70-23, while the Senate supported it 39-10.

Special elections throughout the country

Between 2011 and 2016, an average of 70 special elections took place each year. A total of 25 states use special elections to fill legislative vacancies. In two other states- Illinois and Indiana-special elections are used in limited circumstances. The rest of the states fill vacancies either through appointments made by the governor of the state or by a commission made up of officials from the former member's party. In 2017, 98 state legislative seats were filled through special elections.

Breakdown of 2017 special elections

In 2017, special elections for state legislative positions were held for a variety of reasons:

46 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position

1 due to an ineligible general election candidate

15 due to the incumbent accepting another job

22 due to a retirement

15 due to a death

The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:

As of April 30, 2018, Republicans controlled 56.1 percent of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 42.6 percent. Republicans held a majority in 67 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 32 chambers.

Partisan balance of all 7,383 state legislative seats

Legislative chamber

Democratic

Republican

Other [36]

State senates

808

1,140

24

State houses

2,334

2,999

78

Total:

3,142

4,139

102

Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections. It is not typical to see significant net changes in overall state legislative party composition because of special elections. In elections between 2011 and 2016, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of three seats across the country, although actual races won and lost by each party varied more. For instance, in 2015, Democrats lost nine seats to Republicans but won six different seats in other races, resulting in a net loss of three seats.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not total vacant seats.

Flipped seats

In total, 17 state legislative seats flipped party control in 2017. Democrats flipped 14 seats and Republicans flipped three seats as a result of special state legislative elections in 2017.

Seats flipped from D to R

Seats flipped from R to D

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Washington state legislative special elections, 2017 - Ballotpedia

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Special elections took place in the Washington State Senate and Washington House of Representatives on November 7, 2017, in order to address eight vacated seats between the two chambers. The vacated seats included five seats in the state Senate and three seats in the state House.

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Tracking legislation and votes in the United States Congress.

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Washington Legislation and Voting Record - Bills, Roll Calls, and the Washington Legislature

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The Spokseman-Review / Jan. 21, 2018
By Jim Camden

Less than a day after legislative negotiators [...]

Sequim Gazette / Jan. 20, 2018
By Josh Kelety

The state Senate passed several bills aimed [...]

The Cascadia Advocate / Jan. 19, 2018

The United States Senate may be wracked by [...]

SeattlePI / Jan. 19, 2018
By Joel Connelly

The Washington State Senate, unlike a gridlocked Congress [...]

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Sen. Rebecca Saldana - Washington State Senate Democrats

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The Spokseman-Review / Jan. 21, 2018 By Jim Camden Less than a day after legislative negotiators [...] Sequim Gazette / Jan. 20, 2018 By Josh Kelety The state Senate passed several bills aimed [...] The Cascadia Advocate / Jan. 19, 2018 The United States Senate may be wracked by [...]

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Biography

A community activist for more than 40 years, Sharon Tomiko Santos was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1998.

Rep. Santos chairs the House Education committee and serves on the House Business & Financial Services and the Technology & Economic Development committees.

She also serves appointments to the Washington State Education Opportunity Gap Accountability and Oversight committee, the Every Student Succeeds Act Consolidated Plan Team, and the Financial Education Public Private Partnership.

Her legislative proposals reflect her strong advocacy for providing quality early learning programs for young kids, ensuring a well-trained educator workforce, and closing the opportunity gap. Rep. Santos believes Washington state must strive for providing education excellence and opportunities for all students to learn.

Outside of education, her key policy interests include civil rights, women's rights, economic and environmental justice, affordable housing, and quality public education. She believes in providing level playing fields that allow those who work hard to succeed.

Rep. Santos has served on dozens of boards and foundations including the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, and the University of Washington Business and Economic Development Program Board of Ambassadors.

She has received numerous awards for her legislative and community work including the Kip Tokuda Community Leadership Award from the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation and the Leadership and Vision Award from Junior Achievement of Washington.

A graduate of the Evergreen State College and of Northeastern University, Santos has worked in the banking industry, on staff to local public elected officials, and in senior management positions for non-profit organizations.

EDUCATION
Master of Arts, Northeastern University (1988)
Bachelor of Arts, The Evergreen State College (1985)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Retail banking
Nonprofit management and fundraising

PUBLIC SERVICE
Executive Policy Staff, King County

COMMUNITY SERVICE
Washington State Investment Board (appointed 1/'12/2009)
United Way of King County, Seattle Community Council
YMCA Youth and Government Advisory Board
Japanese American National Museum Advisory Board
Japanese American Citizens League, Seattle Chapter Board
Council for Pacific Asian Theology

HONORS
2012 Recipient, Torch of Leadership Award, Association of Washington School Principals
2011 Recipient, Community Service Award, the Japanese American Citizens League, Seattle Chapter
2010 Honoree, 100 Pioneering Women, The Women's Center at the University of Washington
2010 Recipient, Kip Tokuda Community Leadership Award, Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation
2010 Recipient, Multicultural Excellence Award, Washington State Association for Multicultural Education
2009 Recipient, DesJardins Youth Financial Education State Lawmaker Award, Credit Union National Association
2009 Inaugural Recipient, Leadership and Vision Award, Junior Achievement of Washington
2009 Delegate, International Programs and Women's Legislative Network Exchange (South Africa), National Conference of State Legislatures
2007 Recipient, Community Award, Inter*Im Community Development Association
2006 Recipient, Hate Free Zone Leadership in Justice and Government award
2005 Recipient, TABOR 100 Crystal Eagle Leadership Award for Legislative Action
2000 Recipient, Bernie Whitebear Award, United Indians of All Tribes Foundation
1996, Honoree, Celebrating Women's Leadership, Washington State Women's Political Caucus
1996, Honoree, Top 10 Contributors to the Asian American Community, Northwest Asian Weekly, Seattle WA
1995, NGO Delegate, United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, China
1993, Recipient, Martin Luther King, Jr. "Keeping the Dream Alive" Award, Seattle, WA

YEARS IN HOUSE
Elected to the House of Representatives in 1998.

LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Education
Community Economic Development
Health Care
Affordable Housing

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Biography A community activist for more than 40 years, Sharon Tomiko Santos was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1998. Rep. Santos chairs the House Education committee and serves on the House Business & Financial Services and the Technology & Economic Development committees.

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Biography

Representative Eric Pettigrew was raised by a single-mother in South Central Los Angeles. He attended Nogales High School where he was a stand-out member of the football team. Following his high school graduation, Eric studied sociology and counseling psychology at Oregon State University on a football scholarship.

After graduation from OSU in 1985, Eric moved to Seattle to study social work at the University of Washington. He received his master's degree two years later.

Eric has a diverse background of work experience in all levels of government, the private sector, and the nonprofit sector. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety to former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice. He also worked as a recruiter to increase diversity in the UW School of Social Work. Likewise, he was the former director of the Minority Youth Health Project, which works to reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease rates in Seattle. Eric currently works as a Business Development Consultant for Gallagher Benefit Services.

First elected to the House of Representatives in 2002, Eric has worked to promote economic development, create new affordable housing opportunities, and expand educational opportunities for every child in Washington- regardless of race or economic status.

In 2010, Eric was chosen by his peers to serve as House Democratic Caucus Chair. The caucus chair is the third-ranking leadership position within the HDC, which makes Eric the highest-ranking African American in the Legislature.

Aside from his professional responsibilities, Eric has been heavily involved in community service for many years. He has served as a past president of the Rainier Valley Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the board of the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club and the ACT Theatre. Additionally, Eric has been a little league baseball and basketball coach.

He lives in Seattle with his wife Nicole and has three children- Justin, Linda and Denae.

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Biography Representative Eric Pettigrew was raised by a single-mother in South Central Los Angeles. He attended Nogales High School where he was a stand-out member of the football team. Following his high school graduation, Eric studied sociology and counseling psychology at Oregon State University on a football scholarship.

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I value all feedback from residents of the 9th Congressional District of Washington. I am here to serve you, and so is my staff. Below please find the best means by which you may contact me or my offices.

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I value all feedback from residents of the 9th Congressional District of Washington. I am here to serve you, and so is my staff. Below please find the best means by which you may contact me or my offices. * marks required fields of data.

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E-Mail Maria | U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington

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The Official U.S. Senate website of Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington

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Contact Me - United States Senator Patty Murray

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Official website of U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Senator for Washington State, Democratic Party

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I went back as far as the day before the inauguration, January 19th, 2017, and posted a FB status through that day, January 24th. It was already disconcertingly long. People shared it. People copied and pasted it and it apparently made it to corners of the world not even directly affected by this administration.

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This site provides information on lawmakers, the bills they consider and the votes they take (and miss). You can browse the latest votes and bills, see how often lawmakers vote against their parties and compare voting records.

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What the King County Council does for you - King County

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As your Metropolitan King County Council, we oversee the second largest government and the most populous county in Washington State. With over two million residents, King County is the 13th largest county in the United States in terms of population. There are more people living in King County than in 14 states!

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How a Bill Becomes a Law - CityClerk | seattle.gov

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A more detailed overview of the process by which a Council Bill becomes an Ordinance, or law, in the City of Seattle. A Council Bill can be a proposal for the enactment of a new law, amendment or repeal of an existing law, or appropriation of public money.

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Weekly Actions to Resist Trump. 1.2K likes. We provide strategic, urgent actions you can take every week to stand up to Trump and protect our democracy, our values and our friends and neighbors.

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Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.