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Roger Freeman, a first-term representative from Federal Way,
a city between Seattle and Tacoma, had 53 percent of the vote,
compared to 46.9 percent for his Republican challenger, Jack
Dovey.
Freeman, 48, died last week after a battle with cancer. His
death came after ballots were mailed to Washington voters, where
all voting is done by mail.
"This is extremely rare," said Brian Zylstra, a spokesman for
the secretary of state's office. "But there are protocols in
place."
Once all ballots are finalized in coming weeks, if Freeman wins
the vote, Democrats still will hold on to his seat in the state
House of Representatives, Zylstra said.
Democrats in Freeman's district, which spans two counties, will
select three names for a temporary replacement and the King and
Pierce County councils will vote to appoint one of those
candidates to the seat for one year, according to state election
rules.
The seat would be on the ballot in 2015 to fill out the
remainder of the two-year term, the rules say.
Should the Republican candidate win, he will take the seat in
Olympia at the start of the next legislative session.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Bill Trott)
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