We don’t know how it happened, but it’s election season again. The season when the Stranger Election Control Board, our intrepid team of political obsessives, drags our elected officials (and aspiring electeds) into our un-airconditioned conference room to interrogate them, eat their bribes, an d, ultimately, tell all of Seattle how to vote.   We aren’t electing any executives this year—no mayors or governors or county execs—so this election is all about legislators, judges, and one County Assessor. And man, there were a lot of them. We held 22 panel interviews with more than 50 candidates. Some of them gutted our hope for the future of our democracy. A few gave us hope. A lot of them brought us really good food. And one was downright surprising, with the meeting starting with the question “Have you ever had kidney stones?” and ending with a dramatic reveal of a heart surgery scar. In our endorsement package, you’ll find our primary endorsements for every race that touches Seattle this year. You have all month to read them. And then on August 4, when you’re scrambling to find your ballot under that pile of junk mail on your counter (no, just me?), you can pull out our Primary Election Cheat Sheet and our How to Vote guide, and get cracking. Once you’ve done your civic duty homework, we have a few thoughts on how you should wind down. In The Stranger’s Summer Drinking Guide, we’ve got the best patios and backyards to drink in town, the best AC to hide in, our favorite savory cocktails and sweet mocktails (yes, milkshakes count), and Emily Nokes’s mission to sample every espresso martini she could before deadline.  And while you’re drinking? Crack open Zookraught’s tour diary. We sent the beloved Seattle punk band on their European tour with a pile of disposable cameras and asked them to document their adventures through France, Germany, and Czechia. It might not cure your summer wanderlust, but it will make you want to play foosball.  Happy voting, have a drink.  This Issue Brought to You By… These are my lesbian socks Politician breast milk Mom of zero An insensitive wall Austerity Hospital Spooky Action at a Distance The Boy Committee A voice, confused across mediums A purse Ziploc for event bread A data center in your community, not mine Mike Pellicciotti’s MomWife The Real Girlfriend 2™ Goddessspeed Vegan muffins, if that’s important to anyone Whoopsie! We uncovered your trauma in a public setting  Top DeLonge Crashing out Unexpectedly reenacting Julia Louis-Dreyfus crying over her carpet in Christmas Vacation A dramatic scar reveal Iceberg lettuce Wombs of care Condoms and Al Gore Hold my beer people Ego death Dog panties COVER PHOTOBillie Winter COVER MODELRonan Carnahan ILLUSTRATIONSCarlos Roqués GAME CARD LAYOUTRoshan Gurusinghe CREATIVE DIRECTIONCorianton Hale with Vivian McCall The post Welcome to The Stranger’s July Issue appeared first on The Stranger. ...read more read less