A Seattle voter's guide to the Aug. 6 primary election

It's time to vote in Washington's Aug. 6 primary election, which will pare down crowded races for Congress , governor , attorney general , the state Legislature and some local offices.

Why it matters: The results of the top-two primary will decide which two candidates in each race advance to the November general election.

Driving the news: Ballots are being mailed to registered voters this week. They must be postmarked by Aug. 6 if returned by mail, or placed in an official drop box by 8pm that day to be counted.

The big picture: Voters are deciding this year who will replace three-term Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who isn't running for re-election.

• Attorney General Bob Ferguson leads all other gubernatorial candidates in fundraising , followed by former Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert , state Sen. Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah), and Republican Semi Bird, a former Richland School Board member.
• A competitive race is shaping up to fill Ferguson's shoes as attorney general . Democrat Nick Brown, a former U.S. attorney for Western Washington, is vying for the job against fellow Democrat Manka Dhingra, a state senator, and Republican Pete Serrano, a Pasco City Council member.

Zoom in: Seattle voters will also decide which two candidates will advance in a special election for a nonpartisan seat on the City Council.

• Chinatown-International District advocate Tanya Woo was appointed to fill the vacancy earlier this year.
• Woo now faces four other candidates : tech consultant Tariq Yusuf; community organizer Saunatina Sanchez; entrepreneur Saul Patu; and Alexis Mercedes Rinck, assistant director of policy, planning and state operations in the University of Washington's budget office .

How it works: Voters can register or update their address online through July 29 . After that, you can still change your voter registration in person through 8pm on Election Day at a county elections office or vote center .

• If you need a replacement ballot , you can print one or request that one be mailed to you using VoteWA.gov , the state's online voter registration portal, or through the King County Elections website.

What we're watching: In our top-two primary system, Democrat vs. Democrat and Republican vs. Republican general election matchups have been known to happen.

Go deeper: Real "I voted" stickers coming to Seattle-area voters