Melody leads Edwards for state Supreme Court Position 1

Justice Colleen Melody led Scott Edwards in the Washington Supreme Court Position 1 race on Tuesday, Nov. 3, with 505,179 votes (64.05%) to Edwards' 281,516 votes (35.69%), according to initial unofficial results from the Washington Secretary of State. The count is not complete.

Melody, appointed to the court by Gov. Bob Ferguson, is one of five justices on the ballot in an election that will shape the nine-member court for years.

Five seats up at once is the first time in recent history a majority of the court has faced voters in the same cycle, as first reported by the Seattle Times.

What was at stake

The Washington Supreme Court is the state's highest court and has the final say on questions of state law. Justices serve six-year terms. The winner of this race will serve the final two years of retired Justice Mary Yu's term, according to Yahoo News.

The key issues:

• A pending challenge to the state's high earners income tax is expected to come before the court. Edwards, a tax attorney, helped lead the unsuccessful challenge against the state capital gains tax. Melody has been vague on the 1933 income tax precedent, according to the Seattle Times.
• The court seats are nonpartisan. Democratic officials, including Gov. Ferguson, endorsed Melody. The state Republican Party recommended Edwards, the Seattle Times reported.
• Edwards has spent more than 30 years representing Washington taxpayers and more than 20 years teaching state and local tax law at the University of Washington School of Law, according to Yahoo News. Melody led the attorney general's Wing Luke Civil Rights Division before her appointment.

A little history

Ferguson appointed Melody to replace Justice Yu, who retired at the end of 2025. Melody was sworn in on Jan. 21 at the Temple of Justice in Olympia, according to the Washington State Courts. She is the 100th justice to serve on the state Supreme Court.

Before her appointment, Melody served as chief of the Civil Rights Division in the attorney general's office for 11 years. She also worked as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

Edwards says he is running to bring an independent voice and a focus on the rule of law to the court, according to Yahoo News.

What's next

The results remain unofficial until the canvass is complete. County elections offices have a deadline of Nov. 24 to certify results. The Secretary of State's deadline is Dec. 3, according to the state elections calendar.

Under Washington law, a mandatory recount is triggered when the margin is less than 2,000 votes and less than 0.5% of total votes cast, according to Verified Voting. The current margin far exceeds both thresholds.

Election results: Washington State Supreme Court Justice - Position 1 (Washington General Election, 2026-11-03)

Source: Washington Secretary of State. Results current as of Nov. 3, 2026, 8:08 p.m. PST. Reporting: 5 of 39. Unofficial results; the count is not complete.