Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen announced Friday that he would not seek re-election for a fourth term. Rasmussen, who was elected in 2003, is the second incumbent this week to announce that he would step down at the end of the year. Councilmember Nick Licata also said he wouldn’t seek another term. Rasmussen, 68, said he wanted to…

OLYMPIA — Washington has the second best election system in the United States, according to a 17-indicator index released Tuesday. The Pew Charitable Trusts study is based on data from the 2010 election. It will be updated with 2012 statistics later this year, officials said. North Dakota placed first in the index. Mississippi finished last. Oregon,…

Washington state Democrats predicted that President Obama’s re-election would send a message to Republicans that they need to be more open to compromise. Obama was narrowly winning the popular vote in early returns, but Democrats gathered for an election night party at The Westin Seattle viewed it as a meaningful sign. “The American people slapped the Republicans…