The dividing lines in the state House battle between Rep. John Lovick (D-Mill Creek) and former Snohomish County Councilmember Jeff Sax are car tabs, tolling U.S. 2, and open government. On the controversial public records bill, Lovick said his yes vote was a mistake made by another legislator. “Lovick said he did not intend to support the bill, but a colleague incorrectly pushed the ‘yes’ button for him while he oversaw floor debate as Speaker pro tem.” (Everett Herald)

After raising eyebrows with an unusual $25,000 expense that Rep. Brian Blake (D-Aberdeen) sent to former aide JD Rossetti’s print shop, the total has now ballooned to $65,000. “First, it was $25,000 in campaign funds that my opponent gave to his friend. Now, the estimates are $65,000,” said Republican challenger Joel McEntire in a statement. “I’m running for the Legislature to fight against this sort of cronyism.” (Aberdeen Daily World)

If you’re sick of seeing commercials in the Dino Rossi-Kim Schrier Congressional race, there’s a reason: Combined spending by the campaigns and independent groups has topped $25 million. Of the $16.4 million in outside money, $10.8 million has been spent for Schrier, including $2.8 million in ads opposing Rossi funded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s PAC. (Seattle Times)

Supporters of Initiative 1631 keep saying their energy tax is targeted at the mega-polluters of our state. Only trouble is, if you use heat or gasoline, that makes you one of the mega-polluters. Todd Meyers with the Washington Policy Center estimates how much most people will pay if I-1631 passes: “This translates to between $234 and $305 for the average household in the first year, increasing to $672 and $877 per year after ten years.” (Seattle Times)

The Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board urges voters to check “no” when it comes to Initiative 1639, the gun regulation initiative. The paper wrote, “The initiative, while specific in many areas, is much too vague in its vital, foundational part – the definition of a ‘semiautomatic assault rifle.’” (Yakima Herald-Republic)

Yakima County is keeping pace with other counties throughout the state, as the county reported higher-than-usual early voter turnout. As of Friday, the County Auditor’s Office reported close to 20 percent of Yakima County’s registered voters had already cast their ballot. (Yakima Herald-Republic)

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