Editing Kent, Washington (section)

==Government==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"
|+ Presidential Elections Results<ref>[http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/elections/elections/past-elections.aspx King County Elections]</ref>
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
! Year
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Third Party (United States)|Third Parties]]
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2020 United States presidential election in Washington (state)|2020]]'''
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|32.32% ''18,219''
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''64.50%''' ''36,359''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.18% ''1,795''
|}
[[File:kentcityhall.jpeg|thumb|Kent City Hall (right) and the Centennial Center (left), 2008]]
[[File:KentRJC.jpg|thumb|Maleng Regional Justice Center Kent, Washington]]

The city is governed by a [[mayor–council government]], with a directly elected mayor and a seven-member [[city council]]. Each is elected [[at-large]] (that is, by the entire voting population, rather than by districts) to four-year terms. The current mayor is Dana Ralph.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kentwa.gov/city-hall/kent-mayor|title=Kent Mayor Dana Ralph {{!}} City of Kent|website=www.kentwa.gov|access-date=April 7, 2019|archive-date=October 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016161253/https://www.kentwa.gov/city-hall/kent-mayor|url-status=dead}}</ref> The city maintains its own municipal police department, unlike some neighboring municipalities who contract police service out to King County.

===Public education===
[[Public education|Public]] primary and secondary education in the vast majority of Kent and a number of neighboring cities and unincorporated areas is governed by the [[Kent School District]].<ref name=KingCoSDMap>{{cite map|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st53_wa/schooldistrict_maps/c53033_king/DC20SD_C53033.pdf|title=2020 Census – School District Reference Map: King County, WA|publisher=United States Census Bureau|pages=1, 3 (PDF pp. 2, 4/5)|accessdate=August 3, 2022}}</ref> The district includes four high schools, seven middle schools, twenty-eight elementary schools and two academies.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} The Kent School District also has an individualized graduation and degree program named iGrad that is aimed at dropouts aged 16–21 who are willing to get back to school.<ref name="k12">{{cite web|url=http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/domain/643|title=Our School / Our School|publisher=kent.k12.wa.us|access-date=May 19, 2014}}</ref>

[[Federal Way Public Schools]], which includes a portion of Kent,<ref name=KingCoSDMap/> also has several schools within the city limits. Residents of far east Kent are zoned in the Tahoma School district. A branch of [[Green River Community College]] opened in Kent Station in 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/southeastkingcountynews/2003656515_grcc08s.html?syndication=rss|work=The Seattle Times|title=Convenience: a great selling point for GRCC}}</ref>

Other portions are in the [[Highline Public Schools]] and the [[Renton School District]].<ref name=KingCoSDMap/>

===Fire protection===
The city is served by the [[Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority]] with 7 of the department's 13 stations located within municipal boundaries.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 27, 2016|title=Fire Station Locations {{!}} Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority|url=https://pugetsoundfire.org/about/fire-station-locations/|access-date=April 13, 2021|website=pugetsoundfire.org|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Annexation===
In keeping with the King County Annexation Initiative, which seeks to annex large urban unincorporated areas into city limits or incorporate new cities out of those areas,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metrokc.gov/annex/default.aspx|title=King County Annexation Initiative|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413234624/http://www.metrokc.gov/annex/default.aspx|archive-date=April 13, 2009}}</ref> the Panther Lake area (known officially as the Kent Northeast Potential Annexation Area)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070227080845/http://www.metrokc.gov/annex/kentne.aspx Kent Northeast annexation information – King County] Official site</ref> was proposed for annexation to the city of Kent. The annexation was voted on by residents of the potential annexation area on November 3, 2009; the area was officially annexed July 1, 2010.<ref name="AnnexFAQ" /> The city grew in area by approximately {{convert|5|sqmi|km2}} and 24,000 residents.<ref name="AnnexFAQ">{{cite web|url=http://www.kentwa.gov/content.aspx?id=8934&terms=annexation|title=Annexation Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=City of Kent, Washington|access-date=September 22, 2011}}</ref>