Nov. 2 is General Election Day for all voters in Washington. Counties have already mailed ballots to registered voters. In order to make your voice heard, you must be registered to vote. Voter registration forms that are mailed or completed online must be received by Oct. 25. After Oct. 25, you must visit your local elections office or voting center during regular business hours and until 8 p.m. on Election Day to register to vote or update your registration and receive a ballot.
Send your ballot via U.S. mail—no postage needed. All ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 2 in order to be counted. The U.S. Postal Service recommends that you mail a week before Election Day.
Here are the AAPI candidates on the ballot.
COUNTY
King County, Executive
Joe Nguyen
The son of refugees from the Vietnam War, Joe Nguyen became the first Vietnamese American elected to the Washington State Senate in 2018.
Metropolitan King County, Council District No. 9
Kim-Khanh Van
Currently a Renton City Council member, Kim-Khanh Van is an attorney and public school mom who came to America as a refugee after leaving her native Vietnam at the age of 6.
Public Hospital District No. 1, Commissioner Position No. 4
Parminder Bhatti
Born and raised in India, Parminder Bhatti is a real estate broker at Skyline Properties, Inc. and started a Punjabi radio talk show that ran from 2003-2007.
PORT
Port of Seattle, Commissioner Position No. 4
Toshiko Hasegawa
A fourth-generation Japanese American and lifelong Seattle resident, Toshiko Hasegawa is the executive director of the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.
CITY
City of Bellevue, Council Position No. 2
Conrad Lee
Conrad Lee has served on the Bellevue City Council since 1994, including as deputy mayor in 2010 and mayor in 2012. Lee is also a small business owner in real estate management.
Dexter Borbe
Born in the Philippines, Dexter Borbe speaks Tagalog, Mandarin, and Hokkien. Borbe runs a home care and nurse staffing company in Bellevue.
East Bellevue Community Municipal Corporation, Council Position No. 3
Hassan Dhananjaya
In addition to being an East Bellevue Community Council member, Hassan Dhananjaya’s career has been in the Information Technology space.
East Bellevue Community Municipal Corporation, Council Position No. 5
Chiho Lai
A corporate controller, Chiho Lai is also a former gubernatorial appointee and two-term Bellevue Library Board Member.
City of Bothell, Council Position No. 1
Han Tran
Han Tran is co-chair member of the Anti-Racist Communities: Bothell. She has a bachelor’s degree from Washington State University and is currently attending Harvard Business School.
City of Clyde Hill, Council Position No. 3
Kim Muromoto
A Clyde Hill City Council member for five years, Kim Muromoto works at Boeing Defense, Space & Security. He worked previously for IBM, Microsoft, and Hewlett-Packard.
City of Edmonds, Council Position No. 2
Will Chen
Will Chen served on Edmonds Citizens Housing Commission and runs his own CPA practice. He is also a board member of the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce.
City of Federal Way, Council Position No. 4
Hoang Tran
Hoang Tran works as an administrator in public assistance programs for the state Department of Social and Health Services. He arrived in the United States in 1980 as a refugee from Vietnam.
City of Federal Way, Council Position No. 5
Leandra Craft
Leandra Craft is the daughter of Filipino immigrants and a deputy prosecuting attorney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
City of Federal Way, Council Position No. 6
Renae Seam
The daughter of Indian American immigrants, Renae Seam is a risk analyst for Boeing Employee Credit Union and has a master’s degree from the University of Washington.
City of Issaquah, Council Position No. 5
Russell Joe
Russell Joe has served on the Issaquah City Council for eight years. He is also a former prosecutor, Pro Tem Judge for the Issaquah Municipal Court, and an attorney.
City of Kent, Council Position No. 2
Satwinder Kaur
Elected to the Kent City Council in 2017, Satwinder Kaur has an MBA in technology management from the University of Washington. She works in the tech industry.
City of Lake Forest Park, Council Position No. 5
Tracy Furutani
Tracy Furutani has taught at North Seattle College for the last 25 years as a science educator.
He has a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and a master’s degree from Stanford.
City of Mercer Island, Council Position No. 4
City of Newcastle, Council Position No. 5
Pratima Lakhotia
Pratima Lakhotia co-created TeensWhoCare, a nonprofit that engages over 1,900 high school volunteers. She also has 20 years of experience in financial management.
City of Newcastle, Council Position No. 7
Jesse Tam
Jesse Tam has spent 33 years in banking as an executive and company founder. He previously volunteered at the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
City of Newcastle, Council Position No. 9
Frank Irigon
Longtime community activist Francisco ‘Frank’ Irigon co-founded the International District Health Center and has served on the board of the OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates.
City of Sammamish, Council Position No. 1
Amy Lam
A Sammamish resident for 26 years, Amy Lam is the creative director of Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry. She has a master’s degree in Graphic Design from Yale.
Sammamish Plateau Water & Sewer District, Commissioner Position No. 3
Anh Vo
Anh Vo is a volunteer for the City of Sammamish, Sammamish Chamber of Commerce, 4th on the Plateau, as well as a board member for the SAMMI Awards.
City of Seattle, Mayor
Bruce Harrell
Bruce Harrell served on the Seattle City Council for 12 years. He was raised in Seattle’s Central District by his Black father and Japanese mother.
SCHOOL
Bellevue School District No. 405, Director District No. 3
Joyce Shui
Joyce Shui is an attorney and founder of The Purple School. A Harvard graduate, Shui’s legal career includes representing Microsoft in mergers and acquisitions.
Faye Yang
Known as the “School Lunch Mom,” Faye Yang’s efforts resulted in the introduction of school lunch bill HB1272. Yang has a master’s degree in nutrition and is a registered dietician.
Bellevue School District No. 405, Director District No. 5
Jane Aras
Born in South Korea, Jane Aras has spent a year as a substitute teacher at schools across the Bellevue School District. She has a master’s degree in special education.
Highline School District No. 401, Director District No. 3
Joe Van
Joe Van is the current Highline School District Board vice president and holds a degree in Administration of Justice. He speaks fluent Vietnamese.
Lake Washington School District No. 414, Director District No. 3
Leah Choi
A financial planner, Leah Choi has a bachelor’s in Chemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Denver.
Lake Washington School District No. 414, Director District No. 4
Vishal Misri
Vishal Misri works at Amazon Web Services and has previously founded a software business that employed hundreds of people in the Puget Sound area.
Seattle School District No. 4, Director District No. 4
Vivian Song Maritz
Vivian Song Maritz is a board director for the Washington State Leadership Board, and a member of the Seattle School District’s Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council.
Shoreline School District No. 412, Director District No. 2
Tyann Nguyen
A special education paraeducator, Tyann Nguyen has been a tutor to students with learning disabilities and a high school Biology teacher.
If there are any AAPI candidates we missed, please let us know at editor@nwasianweekly.com.
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Jesse Tam says
Assunta,
This is a clarification of my personal description that you wrote regarding AAPI and CID. I am still a volunteer and current board member of Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce and also a past president. Charter member of ID Rotary Club, and Past President of IDPDA (International District Preservation Development Authority), Past Board Member of Interim CDA, and Past Board Member of CISC. Thank you for your AAPI and CID supports.
Jesse