Highline students react to politics as King County looks for a new Prosecuting Attorney.

Elections are occurring again this November for various levels of political office. This article is the first in a multi-part series covering this fall’s political election season for specific key local elections. 

This week, we will review general information for voters, some Highline students’ reactions and engagement to the upcoming elections, and specifically the King County Prosecuting Attorney race between Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell (D) and the current Prosecutor’s Chief of Staff Leesa Manion (D) as well as what effects crime has on politics.

Despite the impact of the results, several students said they either do not care to follow politics or only did so during the presidential race in 2020 between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. 

“[Politics are] just not in my interest,” said Caleb Mburu, a sophomore studying Computer Science.

“Even if I vote or not vote, it’s still going to happen,” Mburu said. “If it’s my vote versus the majority, it’s not really going to make a difference.”

Mburu also said he was aware of the previous presidential race in 2020 due to his parent’s interests and comments while following the news. 

While students themselves are not politically engaged, a few shared that the only people they know who are involved are their parents, including Marria Banaya and Michelle Ekratnat.

Banaya is sophomore in the Registered Nursing program and originally from Uganda, who expressed her disinterest in politics saying it “doesn’t concern me.” The issues Banaya prioritized were abortion, gas prices, air pollution due to wildfires, and the price of college tuition.

Michelle Ekratnat, 17, is a Running Start student. She said her primary issue was abortion access and the only election she is currently aware of is the U.S. Senate race for Congress between incumbent Patty Murray (D) and opponent Tiffany Smile (R). Ekratnat said she was turned off to politics due to candidates bashing each other.

However, there are some students who have shown some interest in politics. Sara Jimenez, 16 and a Running Start student, said if she were of legal age to vote she “probably would” vote this fall.

One of the primary countywide elections for King County is the race for Prosecuting Attorney. This election is happening as a result of current Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg who decided earlier this year he will not seek re-election. 

Because of Washington state’s top-two primary system, both candidates for this position, Jim Ferrell and Leesa Manion, are self-described Democrats, despite it being a non-partisan position. 

Jim Ferrell argues for more “accountability and transparency” in the county’s Community Pathways Program which diverts youth from the prison system.

Despite calls for reform, Ferrell has been endorsed by Mike Solan, president of Seattle Police Officers Guild. Solan is a controversial figure who is actively fighting efforts to reveal the six Seattle Police Officers Guild members who were at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Ferrell has proudly promoted his endorsements by various local police unions but does not seem to uphold his standards for accountability and transparency for these officers as he does for programs answering constituents calls for restorative justice, especially among juveniles.

Leesa Manion is a strong advocate for such programs but also seemingly has her own transparency issues, particularly around the alleged deleted text messages of former Mayor Jenny Durkan of Seattle during the George Floyd protests. 

“I would’ve called for that investigation sooner,” Manion said in a debate with Ferrell on Seattle’s “Inside/Out” about the missing texts. 

The key issues for this race are: the growing public safety concerns with perceived higher levels of crime; reform within the department; differing approaches to the county’s controversial restorative justice programs; and the backlog of court cases due to the pandemic shutdown closing courthouses.

Both locally and nationwide, perceived higher levels of crime have been a rallying cry among Americans and in the media. And yet despite various reports stating overall crimes are not substantially higher than pre-pandemic rates, the perception among some is that crime has increased due to the Democratic Party’s policies both federally and within Washington state. 

Professor Ché Dawson of Legal Studies and Criminal Justice at Highline says that candidates like to focus on crime because it elicits emotional responses in voters.

“Politicians, including elected prosecutors, love to use crime as one of their campaign issues, whether it should be a priority or not. It is one of those topics where it is easy to get people passionate and opinionated and easy to find statistics that support any position,” said Dawson. 

“Constituents should do their own research and not simply find allegiance to a party or ideology,” he said.

This skeptical sentiment of alleged higher rates of crime was similar to what some Highline students expressed for this article.

When asked if they have either experienced or observed any level of crime in their lives or those closest to them, the majority of students said they thought crime was a non-issue for them. 

When asked if she knew anyone who has been impacted by any crime, Jimenez shared that a few years ago her mom’s car was broken into, resulting in all windows broken and a spare key and her little sister’s baby bag being the only items stolen. 

Jimenez said that she did notice a difference in her parents since the incident, saying they “have their guard up more of the time [and are] more cautious” about wherever they went and where her and her siblings went. She even noticed this same effect in her extended family amongst her aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Public criminals aren’t the only concerns communities have either, as issues with law enforcement and their crimes have only grown over the last few years.

“This is obviously a major topic after the George Floyd murder; and rightfully so. However, again, politicians and media sources like to exploit this in a way that gets people to be unreasonable about solutions,” said Dawson. 

“Do we need increased accountability and some reform within law enforcement agencies at all levels? Absolutely. Does that equate to wholesale elimination, minimization or vilification of law enforcement? Absolutely not,” he said.

“Every aspect of our society, including the legal system, is ‘catching up’ from the last few years. What makes the courts unique, at least in criminal cases, is the Constitutional requirement that cases move along expeditiously. To that extent this should be a priority for the King County Prosecutor,” he said.

General Election ballots were mailed out Wednesday Oct. 19. Ballot drop boxes are open as of Oct. 20 and you can conveniently drop off your ballot at the south end of campus at 2400 S 240th St. 

Alternatively, you can find other drop box locations on the King County election website here.

If you are not already registered to vote, you can register online or by mail before Oct. 31. If you prefer to register in-person, election day Tuesday Nov. 8 is the last day to register before polls close at 8 p.m. 

Anyone who is 16 or 17 years old who will be 18 come future election days can also register under Washington’s #FutureVoter program.

Next week, we will review the Congressional race for House of Representatives, Washington’s District 9 between incumbent Adam Smith (D) and opponent Doug Basler (R). 

The following week, we will review a few of the races for State Legislature surrounding the Highline community in southwest King County. The final article will review the election results for these and other democratic decisions most impacting students, faculty, and staff.