Legislative District 16 - State Representative Pos. 2 (2-year term)
Legislative (House) District 16; Washington
My vote power
High
Election date
November 3, 2026 · General election
How do we calculate my vote power?
What goes into the rating: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. Decisiveness: how likely this race is to be close, based on past results or current analyst ratings, plus the number of candidates.
Representation: High · 67 out of 100
This district is a small slice of its state, so each vote here carries much more weight than a vote in a statewide race. About 163,669 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(7,816,116 ÷ 163,669) ÷ ln(50,000) = 67.87, measured against a statewide vote in WA (grades: 66+ high, 55+ above average, 33+ average, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No analyst ratings or past results for this contest yet.
High representation → My vote power: High.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information and capped at "High".
About this office
- Voting on how much you pay in state taxes
- Voting on how much money your local public schools get
- Voting on which roads and highways get built or repaired
Affects: AI Regulation, Healthcare Affordability, Environment and Public Health,
Candidates
Democratic · declared
Derek Sarley serves as Walla Walla Public Schools Board Director for Position 5. First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2023, his current term ends in 2027. He is a communications consultant and a past president of the Washington State School Directors' Association.
Republican · Incumbent · declared
Skyler Rude represents Washington House District 16, Position 2, and serves as assistant minority floor leader. His current assignments include ranking minority member on House Education and membership on Appropriations, Postsecondary Education & Workforce, and several joint bodies.
Records: Public Education Quality 3 for, 2 against, Environment and Public Health 3 for, 1 against, Gun Control 4 against,
Sources: sos.wa.gov23