Justice of the Supreme Court, Position 1
Washington
My vote power
Normal
Election date
August 4, 2026 · Primary 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: Normal · 50 out of 100
This district covers a large share of its state, so each vote carries about average weight — like a vote in a statewide race. About 7,816,116 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 ÷ 7,816,116) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50, measured against a statewide vote in WA (grades: 66+ high, 33+ normal, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No analyst ratings or past results for this contest yet.
Normal representation → My vote power: Normal.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information.
About this office
- Deciding what state laws and the state constitution mean
- Setting rulings that lower state courts must follow
- Deciding major criminal and civil cases
Affects: Public Safety and Crime Control, Gun Control, Women's Reproductive Rights,
Candidates
Nonpartisan · Incumbent · declared
Colleen Melody began serving as the 100th Justice of the Washington Supreme Court on January 1, 2026. She previously served 11 years as Chief of the Civil Rights Division in the Washington State Attorney General's Office, enforcing laws protecting Washingtonians against discrimination.
Records: Legal Competence 9 for, Civil Rights 8 for, Women's Reproductive Rights 1 for
Nonpartisan · declared
Laura Christensen Colberg is an attorney, arbitrator and lecturer who grew up in Wenatchee, where she was high school Valedictorian, and was a Rotary Exchange Student in Venezuela. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication summa cum laude from Seattle Pacific University.
Records: Legal Competence 3 for, Civil Rights 1 against
Nonpartisan · declared
Scott Edwards has represented clients on state and local tax matters for nearly 30 years, from tax planning and transactional work to controversy and litigation. He focuses on gross receipts taxes, particularly Washington's B&O tax, and sales and use taxes.
Records: Legal Competence 6 for, Election Integrity 1 for, Impartiality 1 for
Sources: voter.votewa.gov · sos.wa.gov