9:00 PM: Tim Burgess Does a Victory Dance

"I'm so sorry," City Council Member Tim Burgess tells the tunnel-hatin' SECB. "You tried so hard to hard to twist the voters in a knot, but I still like you."

Don't be sorry, Tim. Congratulations on your win tonight. May you still be in office in 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32 years when we're still paying for the tunnel so you may continue to appreciate tonight's victory.

8:57 PM: Sally Bagshaw Don't Give A Fuck

At the Let's Move Forward party just a second ago, right before the SECB's eyes, Sally Bashaw approached the drinking water container and washed her hands by rubbing them on the spout. She made eye contact with SECB, showed no guilt for washing her dirty hands using the only clean drinking water supply for the entire party, and then did it again. Confidential to Sally: the bathrooms are just around the corner, and if you're having a hygiene emergency, the code for the men's room is 2200.

8:50 PM: Classen Dismissed, Stranger Blamed

Maurice Classen is not conceding defeat yet, but he has switched from San Pellegrino to a beer.

He walked over to the SECB after the results dropped and announced he was holding out hope—specifically, hope that his last-minute get-out-the-vote push would produce results once all the ballots are counted. “Our effort was pushing toward the end," he said. "I’m certain that we’ll close the gap. The question is whether we’ll close the gap enough to make a difference.”

But when he stood before the crowd at the Nabob, he sounded a more fatalistic note. “I’m still optimistic," he said. "But to be honest with you guys, it doesn’t look great.”

The SECB is getting a little nervous. A lot of people in the crowd are blaming The Stranger for this result, and coming over to slur criticism our way. Fortunately, our last scientific survey found they've all only had two drinks. We'll conduct another shortly.

8:45 PM: Pro-Tunnel Gloatfuckers

The evilest members of the City Council just took the stage and mounted the gloatiest gloat campaign that was ever gloated. (They urged the slavering crowd of well-to-do honkies to celebrate. The SECB is concerned that this celebration can only conclude with packs of blood thirsty preppies wandering under the Viaduct hunting and killing hobos for sport. But first, sissy-rock band the Side Project has taken the stage to stoke our thirst for mayhem with a rousing (country-tinged) rendition of ”Bright Sun-Shiney Day.” This can only end with murder.

Council President Richard Conlin, king of the goats gloats, says in a statement, "The Council wants to thank our stakeholders, neighbors, regional partners, and City of Seattle staff for their continued efforts moving this project forward.”

8:48: Bobby Forch Now Has a Shot at Dislodging Jean Godden from Her Easy Chair on the City Council Dais

Boccy Forch, who came in second in tonight's election returns to Methuselah, has arrived and the man smells fresh. He's in a good position to knock out the incumbent in November. The crowd's swelled from 3 to about 33 people, Forch orders a Diet Coke and says, "Words can't explain." He's not addressing the crowd as one but rather individuals. He talks about being "humbled" and emotional, he's glowing like a freshly polished penny... The man is taking his time working the room, admiring haircuts, giving out hugs. It's a handsome crowd, a crowd of black folks and more. It's a crowd of true believers. One woman says to Bobby, "You just had to believe. Believe." She repeats this several times. People are spontaneously clapping, ordering gin gin gin, it's a room full of gin and breath mints and hugging down here! Basil havens all around! (We're not iPones out, texting and toasting and admiring each other's ties. Forch has a message for Godden: "We're going to start talking about transportation. We're going to start talking about police issues. We're going to start talking in a loud voice, head to head." We're loving Bobby more and more.

8:40: After the Numbers Drop at the Godden Party

At the Godden party, the SECB was talking to three taxi drivers—two from India, one from Africa, all enthusiastic supporters of Jean Godden—when the numbers dropped. Godden won, and the sparsely attended party erupted in applause. One of Godden's campaign workers took the microphone, pointed at the screen displaying results, and shouted, "What does this mean?! What does this mean?! It means this woman won!" She added that Maurice Classen spent over $100,000 to win when Bobby Forch will be her opponent in the genral election, She added that we were at the end of the tunnel debate, and "a beginning to jobs." Peter Steinbrueck is in attendance. When asked why he supported Godden, he said, "Jean is awesome." When asked what's awesome about Godden, Steinbrueck said, "To be kicking ass the way she does at her age...she's not the biggest performer. She doesn't jump in front of the cameras." When asked what legislation Godden has supported that he approved of, Steinbrueck said, "She takes on difficult and unsexy issues, such as city lights and energy, financial issues, and she's not gotten any black eyes out of that."

Jean Godden: 487 years without a black eye!

8:38 PM: Confirmed: John Creighton Still Not Richard Mitchell

The SECB trekked to the wilds of Kirkland to hang out with noted loose cannon (and unexpected microbrew fan) John Creighton, who is running for King County Council District 6 against SECB golden child Richard Mitchell and the drunk incumbent Jane Hague. Creighton and his band of corrupt, scheming cronies loving family and friend, toasted the primary in George's Place, a diner located in what passes for Kirkland's downtown.

John Creighton is not Richard Mitchell. Unlike Richard Mitchell, John Creighton doesn't have a sophisticated accent. I mean, really. Richard Mitchell sounds like Colin Firth (SWOON!). But okay, sorry, we're talking about John Creighton, who is actually super nice, despite the fact that he was a registered Republican until he ran for Port Commissioner. (Also, John Creighton is not Richard Mitchell.)

Before the numbers dropped, the SECB sat down with Creighton in a booth next to his campaign manager, who looks about twelve years old. When asked about Richard Mitchell's negative campaigning tactics against him, Creighton took the high road. "It's unfortunate," he said. "We were fully prepared for that. We're really focused on the issues despite the negativity. We've just chosen to focus on what we can control."

Creighton seems confident that he'll be one of the two LUCKY WINNERS! of the primary—he's done a little bit of polling—but he declined to say who his preferred opponent would be. As we're writing, 20% of the ballots have been cast and Creighton is trailing Mitchell by 2%.

8:39 PM:After Four Minutes, Mike O'Brien Puts on a Happy Face

At the anti-tunnel "party," Council Member O'Brien took the stage again. "Hello everybody." He smiled. "It took me four minutes to get that smile back on my face. I want to reiterate what I said before because I meant it: The work you've done matters, and it will still shape the future of Seattle. We just saw the returns, I haven't had a change to fully digest them, but the spread is 20 points and I would say that's decisive. The people of Seattle are ready to move forward on a tunnel. We fought hard to get a public vote, we got the public vote... and I think it's important for all of us to be gracious about what happens next."

We all know there are some problems with [this project], but it's important for us to do everything we can to make sure those problems get fixed."

"Let's put rail in the tunnel!" some shouted. "Put rail in the tunnel!"

"I love you guys. We got a $60 license fee on the ballot. The work you've done needs to continue — writing op-eds, blogging, getting on Facebook, talking to your neighbors. We didn't get the results we wanted, but we've shown the process works... And this is just a little plea: I could use more of you sitting next to me at my job." The crowd applauds. "Let's celebrate, folks, okay? I can tell you I had a ton of fun working with all you, and I'm going to have a ton of fun working with you in the future."

8:35 PM: They Weren't With Mo

Seattle City Council candidate Maurice "Mo" Classen came over to the SECB's computer to see the first results. Realizing he was trailing Forch by 7 points with 19.5 percent of the votes cast, Classen said: "It's obviously not good. We hope that we'll trend positive over time, but it's not good."

People stared into their smart phones, seeming to prefer to uselessly refresh the results rather than look at their candidate.

The SECB asked Maurice Classen when his political consultant, Christian Sinderman, is going to show up.

"When he's done with the tunnel party," Classen said.

We know Sinderman is busy, but: Ouch.

8:31 PM: Anti-Tunnel Party Gets Gloomy

Mike O'Brien was standing at the microphone, everyone was refreshing their web pages, and suddenly the room went quiet. Then O'Brien said into the mic, "Sixty percent approved, 40 percent rejected."

"That's bad," someone in the crowd said.

"So... I'm going to grab another beer," O'Brien said into the mic.

Deputy mayor Darryl Smith, when asked for a quote, said, "We'll have to wait for the second drop and see what happens."

"I say it's over. Sorry," Smith's wife said.

8:17 PM: The Results Are In!

The first batch of results (all we'll get tonight; more tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.) are posted.

Council Position No. 1
Michael Taylor-Judd 9044 13.59%
Maurice Classen 10926 16.41%
Jean Godden 30347 45.59%
Bobby Forch 15814 23.76%
Write-in 431 0.65%

Council Position No. 9
Fathi Karshie 3295 5.17%
Sally J. Clark 45523 71.40%
Dian Ferguson 14274 22.39%
Write-in 666 1.04%

Referendum 1

APPROVED 43410 59.66%
REJECTED 29348 40.34%

County Council District No. 6

Patsy Bonincontri 1681 7.30%
Richard E. Mitchell 6420 27.87%
Jane Hague 9054 39.30%
John Creighton 5795 25.15%
Write-in 89 0.39%

County Council District No. 8
Joe McDermott 14222 67.07%
Goodspaceguy 1094 5.16%
Diana Toledo 5774 27.23%
Write-in 114 0.54%

Director District No. 1

John Cummings 1056 11.58%
Peter Maier 4647 50.97%
Sharon Peaslee 3343 36.66%
Write-in 72 0.79%

Director District No. 2

Jack Whelan 1548 17.97%
Terrence J. Menage 523 6.07%
Mark T. Weber 509 5.91%
Sherry Carr 3459 40.15%
Kate Martin 2504 29.07%
Write-in 72 0.84%

Director District No. 3

John Dunn 2437 26.79%
David Blomstrom 281 3.09%
Harium Martin-Morris 3760 41.34%
Michelle Buetow 2557 28.11%
Write-in 60 0.66%

Director District No. 6
Nick Esparza 454 4.88%
Marty McLaren 2815 30.27%
Steve Sundquist 3985 42.85%
Joy Anderson 1975 21.24%

Reports from before the results after the jump.

8:15 PM: Results Posted Any Minute Now

Over here at 8:15 p.m., they say.

8:14 PM: Linda from Boston Rocks the Godden Party!

A lovely steely-haired woman named Linda from Boston is at the greeter table at the Jean Godden party. She said she has been living in Seattle for 12 years. When asked why she supports Godden, Linda said she was pleased with Godden's abilities to preserve funding for domestic violence programs in tight budgetary times. When asked if there was anything else in Godden's eight-year tenure that she supports, she said, "Probably nothing, except the need for stability." When asked whether she thought Godden was stable, she responded, "I elect legislators to legislate." When asked her opinion of the tunnel, she said, "I elect legislators to legislate." When asked whether she elected legislators to make bad descisions, she said, "I just want them to do something." When asked if she wanted her legislators to do the wrong things, she said, "I want them to do things."

8:14 PM: Overheard at the Forch Party

"I had a giant hematoma that needed to be bled."

8:10 PM: Let's Move Forward's Graphic Awfulness

This cartoon is on display at the Let's Move Forward party on the waterfront. How could The Stranger stand against peace and prosperity for so long? Now, high on sea breeze, crab cakes, light rock, and smug self-satisfaction, we see the errors of our ways. They just played our favorite Portishead song! Let's tear that Viaduct down with or bare hands, people! White wine for everyone!

P.S. After several false alarms—do you know how many old white guys with goatees there are at this party?—Richard Conlin is finally here. Lets get this party started, bitches! Where'd we put our Twister board?

7:12: Meanwhile, Back on the Porch With Forch

The Vogelei family has left us and Forch's people appear to have put themselves to sleep. Just as we feared Forchwatch 2011 would be reduced to two women doing body shots of house gin off a grizzled bartender, Nick Licata and Dian Fergason arrived to wish Bobby good luck. We break the news that Bobby has finked on his own party (WTF, BOBBY?!?!?!?) and invite the two of them to join us. Nick eyes to bartender's belly but Dian demures, saying she has to get to her own election night party. It's at a house somewhere. Red wine will be served. That's about all the interest we can muster in the thing. We ask Dian—who's all but guaranteed to make it through the primaries—if she's made any mistakes along the campaign trail. "I don't think I've made a single mistake," she says. Not a single one? "No." Hot damn, we want whatever she's been drinking.

8:00: Godden Country

Throwing a wrench in that whole "Old people do everything weirdly early!" cliche, Jean Godden's party at Fare Start didn't get started until 7:30 pm. A nice young campaign worker reports being "cautiously optimistic" (ZZZZZZZ) and another campaign worker ironically praises this strategically boring answer. They both like The Stranger because "it's funny"—even though we've been merciless in mocking Godden's freakishly advanced old age.

The party is strangely sparse—almost sadly so. There's free coffee and iced tea, and wine for sale, and someone's walking around handing out delicious appetizers (pork spring roll-type things with sweet and sour sauce). Jean is wearing a nice scarf. Also, the SECB just overheard a man in a seersucker jacket make a joke about someone knowing Jean from AA. We could not tell if he was being facetious.

7:59 PM: In Which City Councilmember Tim Burgess Disses the SECB

SECB: Our wife left us after three months.

Tim Burgess: She was smart.

SECB: Yeah, well at least I'm not wearing my name tag upside down on my back like some fucking moron.

7:59 PM: Only One Person Running for the School Board Is Having a Party and We Are So Fucking THERE!

The SECB is doing bong hits and trafficking weed at Pazzo's Pizza on Eastlake waiting for District 3 candidate Michelle Buetow to show up. Oh, wait, here she is with kids in tow—and wearing a "Lucky Mom 24/7" t-shirt! But we took a photo of this pizza instead. Pizzzzaaaaaa......

There are tons of kids running around, eating pizza, demanding alcohol. Buetow is sipping on a gin tonic, feeling extremely confident. She thinks she has a good chance to make it to the top two. "I knocked on a lot of doors," Buetow says, wasted. [Update from the eds—This originally said Buetow was wasted and kids wanted alcohol, but she wasn't wasted and infants weren't asking for delicious cocktails. We were joking about that. The same way we were joking about doing bong hits and eating pizza. The SECB lervz Buetow and hates bong hits, gin, getting wasted, and pizza.]

Buetow faces stiff competition from incumbent Harium Martin Morris and former SEA leader John Dunn. "Dunn could make it too," she says, wasted-er.

7:56 PM: It's Packed at the Anti-Tunnel Party

Mike O'Brien got on the microphone at Havana and said to the anti-tunnel crowd, "You all have kicked ass for the last six or seven months—and for some folks, six or seven years." He introduced Cary Moon, who said, "Man does it feel good to finally be here."

A member of the crowd shouted, "Moon for 2013!!!" It's packed in here at Havana.

Moon went on, "So we are on the verge of a clear and decisive defeat of the most boneheaded project since they tried to ram the R. H. Thompson Expressway. This fight was never about the fine language of the ordinance. It has always been about the future of Seattle and our identity. In Seattle we vote yes for community centers, parks, transportation..." She had a long list but SECB wasn't able to keep up. "We are innovators. We create solutions that the rest of the country follows."

After more cheers, O'Brien took the microphone again and said, "At about 8:15, we're going to start getting returns. My understanding is that as of last night, the county had received a little under 70,000 ballots — so it's pretty low turnout at this point. A big chunk of those ballots have been scanned and we'll hear those numbers tonight. We may not know the outcome, but if its more than five-point spread, it's unlikely it will change after tonight. If it's less than a five-point spread, the numbers will move. But even if it's teetering 50/50, we're talking about a project that clearly doesn't have the city behind it. I'm hoping we'll have numbers that show..." His voice trailed off. "Well, I don't need to tell you guys."

The crowd laughed.

O'Brien added, "I want to tell you all how exciting it's been to be a part of this. We don't know what happens in half an hour, but I can tell you no matter what happens, the work you have done, that we have all done, makes a difference. The leaders in this town have seen passionate people who really care about the types of priorities that Cary was talking about. As much energy as we've put into this, this is just a milestone, and there will be more work we have to do next year, and the year after that. No matter what we see in the next half hour and the next couple days, know that all the work you've done matters. People out there, even when they say they're not listening to you, they're listening to you, because you guys are loud and you guys are right."

Mike O'Brien ended his talk by mentioning what an honor it is to be on city council, even when he's totally outnumbered on issues like the tunnel.

"When I'm out there, and the Seattle Times beats me up, or my colleagues on the city council beat me up, and I get an email or a tweet from someone in this room — it makes it all worthwhile for me and gives me all the energy I need. Thank you. I want you to know I couldn't do what I'm doing without you there."

7:53 PM: John Wyble Makes Predictions

The SECB has received predictions from political consultant John Wyble, manager of the Bobby Forch campaign. Asked to forecast of what's going to happen in races he isn't involved in, Wyble said: "Tunnel gets rejected; veterans passes."

7:50 PM: What They Lack in Urban Planning Sensibility, They Make Up for In Calories

Tunnel food! SECB operatives are down by the ocean, waiting to applaud the imminent demolition of the Viaduct. This is the yuppiest party we've ever attended, but the food is fan-fucking-tastic. A band called The Side Project is keeping things nice and white. Between the cool sea breeze and the warm glow of the sun bouncing off all the orangey fake tans, being a honky never felt so good! And in case you were worried things were getting too white, a Richard Conlin impersonator showed up to help keep things nice and soulful.

Ten minutes after arriving, the SECB is already stuffing our faces with sweet, succulent smoked salmon and tender grain fed steak. And then Big Labor buys us a beer! Fuck yeah! But there's no Wifi down here.

That said, if we can't trust the rich white guys to set up free WiFi for the press, how can we trust them to build fucking tunnel? Wait... Here comes the waiter with more salmon. Gotta go....

7:43 PM: Sad Start at the Bobby Forch for City Council Party

• The Forch "Party."

Forchwatch 2011 is off to an abysmal start. We say to the Rob Roy bartender, "We heard there's supposed to be an election party here."

"I heard that," he responds.

After some searching, we find his party of three supporters—clammy hands, hot suit (with tight buns!), and The Woman—crowded in the corner. They are drinking gin. In moderation. No fun! They tell us that the man of the hour is sequestered at "the bat cave" and won't show up at his own goddamn party until the results drop. We ask why they are at Rob Roy. "It's central," they say.

"Take off your shirt!" we demand. They do not. And so we party crash the Vogelei family reunion, which is kicking Forch's party's ass at the other end of the bar. They are from a place that "does not recognize democracy." Such a handsome family!

We ask if they're Forch on the Porch supporters. "Who is that?" they respond.

INDEED.

7:38 PM: Interview with Anti-Tunnel Advocate Cary Moon!

How are you feeling?
I'm nervous and fine.

Nervous about the numbers?
Yeah and just nervous that it's going to get uglier before it gets constructive again. And I'm not a natural fighter, so I'm not quite ready for this thing to escalate further. I think there's a lot of people ready to blow this off and not listen to the voters. The project doesn't work, we can't afford it, and the citizens of Seattle don't even want it. We have to connect with them and get them to stand with us.

After tonight might it be a little late?
There are people out there listening to what the citizens say.

A lot of anti-tunnel people at this party are wearing blue. Is that because they're anticipating sadness?
I think it's because it's a cool color. And this is our first summer day.

7:34 PM: Classen Session!

It's muggy at the Maurice Classen party at the Nabob on lower Queen Anne, where sweat moistens the foreheads of men in dress shirts and one ceiling fan huffs away to little effect.

"Mo," as he's known to his fans, isn't sweating as far the SECB can tell, and was last seen leaning up against a wooden support beam with both thumbs frantically working his Motorola DROID 2. Attire: Crisp pink dress shirt, black slacks, and black dress shoes.

Asked whether he's confident he can get through the primary, Classen tried to wow the SECB with the standard election night talking points. He says he had a better ground game than all the other Jean Godden challengers, claims he knocked on 13,000 doors over the course of his campaign, tells a story about how he was in Ballard the other day sign-waving near opponent Bobby Forch and had a way bigger sign-waving posse than Forch did.

The SECB woke up long enough to ask: How sure are you, really, that you'll be the one challenging Godden in the general?

"Fairly confident," he said. "But you never know."

On to more important matters. We asked Classen what we should order at the Nabob since, you know, he owns the place. He seemed worrisomely unaware of his own bar's menu, but ultimately recommended the Mac 'n Cheese and offered a vague recollection of something called a Trappist Salad. We will investigate.

Unpaid intern Paul Holmes conducted a scientific survey of the crowd of about 50 people—colleagues from the prosecutor's office, Toby Crittenden from the Washington Bus, etc.—and found the following:

Most common drink: A Belgian brew called Ommegang. (Plus a lot of microbrews in bottles.)

Ratio of pro-tunnel folks to anti-tunnel folks: 4 to 1.

Median self-reported age: 32 (Outliers include a 42-year-old, a 12-year-old drinking Guinness, and a "chain-smoking" 17-year-old. Call the prosecutor's office!)

7:24 PM: What Will the Tunnel Campaigns Say?

Local news blog PubliCola speculates on both tunnel campaigns' (predictable) messages, regardless of whether they win or lose. Also: "Ironically, a win for the tunnel could be the best thing that ever happened to anti-tunnel crusader Mayor Mike McGinn, who has been noticeably quiet during the campaign," they say. "A win for the tunnel would compel the mayor to be quiet about the project."

7:09 PM: Anti-Tunnel Campaign at Havana

Mike O'Brien, the hottest piece of ass on the city council, arrived at Havana a few minutes ago for the anti-tunnel campaign Protect Seattle Now's party. Also in the parking lot: two local TV news vans. As O'Brien walked in, the tattooed bartender at Havana, describing himself as "way too hot," started rolling up his pant legs. Another Havana employee leaned over to Esther Handy, campaign manager for Protect Seattle Now, to say he was going to start sending over the pizzas soon.

Asked how she thinks the race is going to go, Handy said she thinks it's going to be "a close one."

A volunteer for the campaign was not as optimistic. "I think they're going to win. They ran a good campaign," the volunteer admitted, referring to the pro-tunnel Let's Move Forward campaign. "But Seattle voters are weird. I stood here two years ago when McGinn got elected, and I didn't think that was going to happen." The volunteer described the Let's Move Forward campaign as "compelling, resonates, and is a complete lie. But that's what you do" to win political campaigns. "You extend the truth as far as you can."

Meanwhile, Michael Taylor Judd, the only anti-tunnel candidate running against Jean Godden, was taping his campaign signs to the wall. Asked how he thought tonight was going to go, he shrugged. Asked whether he thought the tunnel was going to be approved or rejected, he shrugged. Asked about his own prospects, he shrugged again, then added, "If the referendum only gets 40 percent, if all those people vote for me, I win."

There are about 25 people inside Havana right now, and the snacks include chocolate chip cookies, crudites, Jelly Bellies, and the forthcoming pizza.

6:50 PM: Tunnel Tragedy!

While we await a decision on Seattle's tragic tunnel, please enjoy this cautionary tale from inside Moscow's Tunnel of Death.

5:37 PM: Omigod! Omigod! Omigod!

This is it, the biggest night in politics since Reagan turned the country red, since America elected a black Muslim terrorist, since Dewey defeated Truman! The Stranger Election Control Board is there. To the parties, the bars, the... fabricated election-day media stunts!

At a last-minute phone bank at 3rd Avenue and Union Street, the Bobby Forch for Seattle City Council campaign was attempting to call 1,500 to 2,000 voters before ballot boxes close at 8:00 p.m.—a tall order for the five volunteers that made it out today. In total, the campaign expects to have reached between 25,000 and 30,000 voters by phone before the end of the primary campaign. Their phone bank looked like a Costco customer support ad:

Crystal Fincher, Forch's campaign manager, refused to make any predictions on tonight's outcome, but she was optimistic about the results. "They say the reception on the street has been very good, from legislative and individual endorsements," she said as the SECB popped an Ambien. "Anecdotally, things have been pretty good."

DID YOU HEAR THAT?? Anecdotally, things are PRETTY GOOD! This night is gonna get WILD!!!!