The mid-term election generally is second only to the presidential election in voter interest. Not here — at least not this year.

All of the positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, a third of the spots in the U.S. Senate, all positions in the State House and half the positions in the State Senate are on the ballot. That will get little attention here, with no U.S. Senate race and most congressional and legislative districts either firmly Democratic or firmly Republican.

Around the nation, Democrats and Republicans vie for control of the U.S. Senate, with Senate contests in 36 states. Washington is one of the other states. Most states are electing governors and other statewide officials. That includes Oregon, Alaska, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Texas, but not Washington.

This kind of election comes to Washington every 12 years. In 2004 and 2012, we voted for president, governor and U.S. senator. In 2008, races for president and governor topped our ballots. In 2006, we had a contest for one of Washington’s U.S. Senate positions.

We have no statewide positions on this year’s ballot. Only the three statewide initiatives get some interest.

The election will determine control of the Washington state Senate, but no legislative position in south Snohomish County appears to be hotly contested.

Washington decided eighty or ninety years ago to hold elections for state executive positions in presidential election years and for county positions in mid-term elections. That changed when Snohomish County and some other counties adopted home-rule charters and moved most county elections to odd-numbered years.

So, Washington — and particularly Snohomish County — has little role in the 2014 mid-term election.