On a Tuesday evening, Quinn Majeski takes a study break to talk partisan politics.

Well, as the president of Young Democrats at the UW, it’s accurate to say he’s almost always talking politics — or at least thinking about them.

Majeski volunteered three weeks of his summer to the campaign of County Councilmember Dow Constantine, a declared Democrat, who competes next week for the King County executive post against former KIRO-TV news anchor Susan Hutchison.

“I was impressed with Dow when he came out and criticized Hutchison for not being clear about her record, her supporters, and generally what appear to be some strong conservative leanings on her part,” Majeski said.

Hutchison has refrained from publicly aligning herself with either party, ignoring hounding from fellow candidates and local media outlets who’ve attempted to out her as a Republican by pointing out her largely scarlet donation record. Before the primary, other Democrats politely tiptoed around the issue of partisanship.

Now, a week away from the Nov. 3 election, the suitors for King County’s highest office are nearly deadlocked, with polls quibbling over percentage points.

Justin Bryant, president of College Republicans at the UW, was pleased to see Hutchison’s name on the ballot.

“I’m really excited to see someone moderate and not entrenched in the political machine get involved,” Bryant said. “Susan Hutchison, particularly, is somebody who’s not divisive.”

Like trying to look away from a couple bickering in public, the county can’t resist the allure of the candidates’ partisan quarreling — even though a $56 million budget shortfall is arguably the greatest issue at stake. A 2008 initiative erased party affiliations from beneath the names of county hopefuls, rendering the office of executive nonpartisan.

Even so, partisanship remains a solid factor in this race.

“You can say the race is nonpartisan, but you can’t say it’s absent content,” Constantine said. “You need to understand what your candidates believe in … to see how that would influence them ruling as executive.”

Hutchison agreed that such personal views sway a politician but emphasized that they don’t necessarily need to be reflected in party alliance, criticizing her opponent for embracing partisanship.

“He always tries to get me to play that game with him, and I just refuse,” said Hutchison, a touch agitated. “People don’t believe partisan politics gets anything done.”

Instead, she focused on values, stating that the stereotypical party member doesn’t exist.

“There is no such thing as the standard Democrat that believes everything the same and doesn’t have an original idea. The same with the Republicans,” Hutchison said. “When you get inside, there’s a wide range of opinion. They often argue within their own party because they don’t all agree.”

Constantine isn’t shy to tout his Democratic blue blood as King County’s voters seem to have preferred this color scheme in the past. Majeski noted that three-fourths of the county’s voters identify with the Democratic Party.

Both Constantine and Majeski stated that even in a nonpartisan office, certain issues still lie on partisan lines.

“I was not in favor of making the King County executive race a nonpartisan race,” Majeski said. “You’re the executive of the 13th largest county in the entire nation: There are issues that are partisan, even if you’re just directing a county.”

Abortion, the Red Sea of political discourse, is one such issue.

Spilling one’s views about the nation’s most controversial topic could permanently paint a politician red or blue. And though the executive does not have the power to rule over the legality of abortion specifically, public health remains a way to influence it. Clinics provide reproductive-health services for King County residents who may not have another option, Constantine said: the young, the poor, the disenfranchised.

Constantine has made his own views on abortion rather public.

“I’m pro-choice; I believe people should have control over their own bodies,” Constantine said. “It is not reasonable for people to try to say that this is just a county race and that [it] doesn’t matter.”

Hutchison remains guarded on the abortion debate, believing that most decisions the executive rules on, such as sewage and transportation and courts and law enforcement, do not have a “D” or an “R” next to them.

“People just want their services to be provided,” Hutchison said. “They understand that divisive politics gets in the way.”

So on the ballots this year, there are only names. No letters, no colors and no parties. There’s no red and no blue to divide us — at least on paper.

“I contend that where my values come from and where most values come from is not politics at all, but from family and faith and community,” Hutchison said. “With those values, we can certainly find common ground.”

Reach Lifestyles Editor Rachel Solomon at lifestyles@dailyuw.com.