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City of Seattle Proposition No. 1 Property Tax Levy for The Seattle Public Library

August 4, 2026 · Seattle city, Washington · City

Vote impact: Average
How do we calculate vote impact?

Vote impact = representation (how much weight one vote carries here, the smaller the district's population, the higher the representation) + decisiveness (how likely this race is to be close, based on past results and number of candidates).

Representation: Low · 0 out of 100

This district is large for its type, so each vote is a smaller slice of the outcome. About 754,195 people live here.

score = 100 × ln(largest population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(largest ÷ smallest), rounded to 2 decimals = 100 × ln(754,195 ÷ 754,195) ÷ ln(754,195 ÷ 7) = 0, comparing cities and towns in WA (grades: 66+ high, 33+ average, otherwise low)

Ballot measure: +1 step

Your vote sets the policy directly, so the rating gets a one-step boost.

Low representation + a ballot-measure boost → Average vote impact.

Ballot Measure

Government Spending Reduction (against), Public Education Quality (for), Public Infrastructure (for)

Seattle Proposition 1 would replace an expiring library levy with a seven-year property-tax levy collected from 2027 through 2033. It would raise up to $68,537,143 in the first year and approximately $479,760,000 over seven years for library operating hours and access, collections, technology, programming, maintenance, administration, and a seismic retrofit. The ballot states an additional first-year rate of $0.23 per $1,000 of assessed value and a maximum total levy rate of $3.14 per $1,000; qualifying seniors, veterans with disabilities, and other people with disabilities are exempt from the increase.

A YES vote means

A yes vote approves the seven-year Seattle Public Library property-tax levy, allowing the city to collect the additional levy beginning in 2027 for the listed library services and improvements.

A NO vote means

A no vote rejects the proposed replacement levy, so the city would not receive this measure's additional seven-year property-tax authority for library services and improvements.

More about this measure

Source: info.kingcounty.gov

Source: cdn.kingcounty.gov

Election sources

Source: info.kingcounty.gov

Source: cdn.kingcounty.gov