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Tag: military and overseas voters

WA General Election voting kicks off this week

WA General Election voting kicks off this week

Washington’s General Election voting season gets under way in just a few days, with counties sending ballots to over 72,000 military and overseas voters around the globe. Federal law provides extra transit time for military and overseas voters, with counties required to send out ballots 45 days before Election Day. This year, that’s Saturday, Sept. 24. A number of soldiers and others have also requested electronic versions. Still others use federal write-in ballots via the Federal Voting Assistance Program at…

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Presidential Primary voting season under way

Presidential Primary voting season under way

Washington counties are sending about 65,000 Presidential Primary ballots to military and overseas voters this week. This signals the start of voting on favorites for the Republican and Democratic nominations. The rest of the state’s 4 million voters will get their ballots early next month. The 18-day voting period begins May 6, and ballots must be returned or postmarked by May 24. Military and overseas voters, including Peace Corps volunteers, missionaries, business people and other Washington citizens living abroad, get…

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WA has lowest ballot rejection rates for military, overseas voters

WA has lowest ballot rejection rates for military, overseas voters

Our Elections Division has long prided itself on helping ensure that our state’s military and overseas voters have access to voting and are not disenfranchised. So we are pleased about the recent news from the Federal Voting Assistance Program that Washington has the lowest ballot rejection rates in the nation for military and overseas voters. The FVAP reports that Washington has a 2 percent rejection rate for these voters, whereas the national average is 6 percent. Some counties in the…

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Military families can still register to vote

Military families can still register to vote

UPDATE: We have a few clarifications to this blog post. Additions are in bold, and deletions are crossed out.  If you are active or reserve military personnel, you and your family are exempt from voter registration deadlines and can register as late as Election Day. A spouse or dependent who is away from home because of the military service can also qualify as a “service” voter or “military” voter. “Protecting our citizens overseas should not prevent soldiers and their families…

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WA suspends 2012 prez primary, saving $10 million

WA suspends 2012 prez primary, saving $10 million

Washington lawmakers have approved a plan sponsored by Secretary of State Sam Reed and Gov. Chris Gregoire to suspend the 2012 presidential primary, to save over $10 million. The state will use the Iowa-style precinct caucus-convention process as the fallback system, and will return to conducting the more broadly based presidential primary in 2016. The House voted 69-28 on Tuesday in support of the Senate-passed plan, which was forwarded to the Governor for her signature.  The Senate vote earlier in April…

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Senate passes key elections bill

Senate passes key elections bill

Legislation that would help ensure that our state’s military and overseas voters can vote in our elections has cleared a key hurdle. The Senate voted 47-1 Friday morning to pass this important elections bill requested by Secretary Reed. Senate Bill 5171 would move Washington’s Primary Election two weeks earlier, to early August, to ensure that Washington complies with a new federal law requiring military ballots to be mailed 45 days before Election Day. ESSB 5171 also would count military and…

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