Mayoral candidates make last-minute push to sway undecided voters

Seattle — The leading candidates for Seattle mayor are focusing on undecided voters in the last few hours of the primary election campaign. Only the top two candidates will go on to the general election in November.

Numbers from the King County Elections Division show roughly 15 percent of Seattle ballots have been returned so far, apparently because so many voters waited until the last minute to get their ballots in.
That's left the candidates pushing hard at the last minute.

>>> Click here to see raw interviews with Seattle mayoral candidates Mike McGinn, Peter Steinbrueck, Ed Murray and Bruce Harrell.

"I hardly slept at all over the Seafair weekend," said former city Councilman Peter Steinbrueck while walking in South Lake Union. "Just talking with everyday people."

Current Mayor Mike McGinn spent part of the day at his campaign headquarters phone bank, "It's a hard job, but it's really rewarding and I think we've laid a foundation to do more in the future, so I'd love to keep doing it."

City Councilman Bruce Harrell is also confident of winning undecided voters, "They want to believe in a leader that can take them to a better Seattle, I think I'm the choice and they are saying (that)."

"I wouldn't say I feel confident, said state Sen. Ed Murray, campaigning in the Wallingford neighborhood. "We're working very hard, we're out door-belling, we're doing phone banks but we don't think we have this thing won yet."

King County election officials are expecting a surge of last minute ballots that should push turnout over 30 percent.

In order to be counted, ballots must be postmarked by tomorrow, or put into a county dropbox by 8 o'clock tomorrow night.

KIRO