Elections 2012

Whoever wins the election to lead the King County Sheriff's Department will have his work cut out for him. Two performance audits in recent months have criticized how the department handles internal investigations and use-of-force complaints. Steve Strachan has been interim sheriff since Sue Rahr departed earlier this year. Strachan faces a veteran of the department in the race, former KCSD spokesman John Urquhart. They join us in studio.

Ballots go out in Washington and Oregon at the end of the week of October 15. Last minute money is pouring into the ballot fight over same–sex marriage in Washington. Those dollars are buying television ads on both sides of the issue. So what claims are the campaigns making? Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins takes a closer look.

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho - Voters in several states across the country will decide on education measures this November. Washington votes on whether to allow charter schools and Idaho is considering whether to keep not one – but three brand new laws. They overhaul everything from how teachers are paid to how kids learn in the classroom. The vote is a test for some controversial ideas in education – and for the man behind them.

As Election Day nears, the candidates for Washington governor appear to be getting mellower, not feistier. Republican Rob McKenna and Democrat Jay Inslee met Thursday night in their fourth formal debate.

Perhaps the candidates are tired of each other or tired of hearing themselves speak -- or just plain tired. Whatever the case, it was a mellower Inslee and McKenna than at past debates. They re-plowed their positions on many hot topics like the budget, education, taxes and Medicaid expansion.

The job of Washington State Auditor is to root out waste, fraud and abuse in government. But the Democratic candidate for that position, State Representative Troy Kelley, has come under scrutiny for his private business dealings. This includes wiring millions of dollars around to an account that was eventually linked to a bank in Belize. That was key evidence in a lawsuit against Kelley.

The fate of legal same-sex marriage in Washington is going to be decided by voters this November. Ross Reynolds sits down with Representative Laurie Jinkins, a public health official from Tacoma and advisor for the Washington United for Marriage, and Paula Renny, an attorney and volunteer for the Preserve Marriage Washington campaign.

In addition to choosing a president and members of Congress, voters in several states will weigh in on high-profile social issues on Nov. 6. Here are some of the key voter initiatives on ballots: