State

State Representative, 31st Legislative District

Position 2

Vote for: 1
Term: 2 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: Each legislative district elects two state representatives (Position 1 and 2), who vote on Washington laws and the state budget.

Candidates Compare by issue

John Bielka

Prefers Democrat Party

Civil engineer and public works director; cattle farmer

The gist

Supports ADUs, duplexes and townhomes where infrastructure allows
Opposes tax increases until the Legislature prioritizes spending
Supports health care price transparency and fewer surprise bills
Proposes using Climate Commitment Act funds for flood fixes
Proposes signal timing and chokepoint fixes for traffic
Supports officer recruitment and stronger crisis-response systems
Supports expanding career and technical education and trades pathways

More about John

View sources (2)

Supports ADUs, duplexes and townhomes where infrastructure allows
Priorities
Campaign website · John Bielka campaign · bielka31.com
“I support adding housing where roads, utilities, and services can support it, including ADUs, duplexes, townhomes, small multifamily housing”
Opposes tax increases until the Legislature prioritizes spending
Priorities
Campaign website · John Bielka campaign · bielka31.com
“I will not support increased taxes until the Legislature prioritizes its spending choices.”
Supports health care price transparency and fewer surprise bills
Priorities
Campaign website · John Bielka campaign · bielka31.com
“I also support price transparency, fewer surprise bills, and reforms that reduce costs without lowering quality.”
Proposes using Climate Commitment Act funds for flood fixes
Priorities
Campaign website · John Bielka campaign · bielka31.com
“using Climate Commitment Act funding where appropriate to fix flooding problems, improve drainage, protect roads”
Proposes signal timing and chokepoint fixes for traffic
Priorities
Campaign website · John Bielka campaign · bielka31.com
“better incident response, improved signal timing, safer intersections, targeted chokepoint improvements”
Supports officer recruitment and stronger crisis-response systems
Priorities
Campaign website · John Bielka campaign · bielka31.com
“I support recruiting and retaining well-trained officers, strong professional standards”
Supports expanding career and technical education and trades pathways
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“expand career and technical education including trades pathways”

Joshua Penner

Prefers Republican PartyIncumbent

State Representative; executive strategy consultant

The gist

Proposes changing the Keeping Families Together Act child-removal standard
Opposed closing Residential Habilitation Centers such as Rainier School
Opposed SB 5925 on Attorney General investigatory powers
Opposed SB 6309 on Sound Transit and local zoning
Secured funding to repair White River and Fairfax bridges
Opposed cuts to early education

More about Joshua

View sources (3)

Proposes changing the Keeping Families Together Act child-removal standard
The Unacceptable Tragedy of State Neglect
Campaign website · Josh Penner campaign · votepenner.com
“I fought to amend the law so our caseworkers could intervene proactively.”
Opposed closing Residential Habilitation Centers such as Rainier School
Josh Penner for State Representative
Campaign website · Josh Penner campaign · votepenner.com
“Fought SB 5167 to stop the legislature from shutting down Residential Habilitation Centers (RHCs)”
Opposed SB 5925 on Attorney General investigatory powers
Josh Penner for State Representative
Campaign website · Josh Penner campaign · votepenner.com
“Led the charge against SB 5925, fighting back against unchecked investigatory powers”
Opposed SB 6309 on Sound Transit and local zoning
Josh Penner for State Representative
Campaign website · Josh Penner campaign · votepenner.com
“Fought SB 6309 to prevent Sound Transit from sidestepping local zoning laws and dodging financial accountability”
Secured funding to repair White River and Fairfax bridges
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“cut red tape to fund the repair of the White River and Fairfax bridges”
Opposed cuts to early education
Candidate statement, Online Voters' Guide, November 3, 2026 General Election
Provided by the campaign · Washington Secretary of State (statement written by the candidate) · voter.votewa.gov
“prevented disastrous cuts for early education, protected care facilities for fentanyl-exposed newborns”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 7 issues covered in this race.