‘It matters’: Gee and Ursula point to 4-vote WA House race as proof every ballot counts

If you’ve ever thought your vote doesn’t matter, KIRO hosts Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin have an example from East Pierce County: Just four votes separate the candidates in a race for the state House.

“If anyone tells you that my vote doesn’t count, or a couple of votes never decide an election, check out what is going on in East Pierce County,” Ursula said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

Four votes in the 25th District

In the 25th Legislative District, Republican Rep. Cyndy Jacobsen led Democrat Jenn Marie Strickling by four votes as of Wednesday afternoon, according to The Tacoma News Tribune. Each candidate had just under 50% of the vote, with about 28,350 votes apiece.

The district includes Puyallup, South Hill and the Summit-Waller area. Jacobsen has held the seat since 2021 and previously served on the Puyallup City Council. Strickling, who lives in Orting, was elected to the Pierce County Charter Review Commission in 2025.

A recount looks likely, but it isn’t guaranteed yet because ballots are still coming in, Pierce County Elections Manager Kyle Haugh told The Tacoma News Tribune. The county plans to certify results Nov. 24, and the state must certify by Dec. 3. A hand recount is required when candidates are separated by fewer than 150 votes and less than a quarter of 1% of the total. If results were certified now, this race would qualify.

Both candidates are urging voters to make sure their ballots count.

“FOUR?! VOTES?! In my wildest dreams I couldn’t have imagined this being as close as it is,” Strickling wrote on Facebook. “Democracy means counting every vote, and I’m waiting for every single one of your votes to be counted. This isn’t over.”

Jacobsen wrote that the race is “very close” and that disputed ballots are important.

A levy decided by a few dozen votes

Ursula pointed to another close race in Whatcom County. A property tax levy lid lift for Whatcom County Fire District 1 was trailing by 30 votes Wednesday, with only a little more than a dozen ballots left to count countywide, she said.

If the measure fails, Ursula said, residents could face even longer response times from a fire district that handles medical emergencies.

Gee points to Mississippi

Gee pointed to Mississippi, where Democrat Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. When Colom takes office in January, he’ll be the first Democrat to represent Mississippi in the Senate in more than 35 years, PBS News reported. He’ll also be the state’s first Black U.S. senator since 1881, according to The 19th.

“Your vote don’t matter? Oh yeah, it matters,” Gee said. “It matters so much in the state of Mississippi.”

Gee said many Mississippians are tired of their state being known for bad news.

He also noted that he recently said the country was seeing “Jim Crow 2.0.” Now he wonders if it’s seeing something else.

“I wonder if we’re witnessing Reconstruction 2.0,” Gee said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio.