Get ballots in by Election Day

Get ballots in by Election Day

With the November 3 General Election just days away, Secretary of State Sam Reed is reminding voters to mail in or drop off their ballots by Election Day. As Secretary Reed has noted, each election features races and issues that affect all of us, so he encourages all registered voters to exercise their right and have their voices heard.

ballots

Mail-in ballots have to be postmarked on or before Election Day. Secretary Reed suggests if you are mailing your ballot to have it in the mail by this Saturday, October 31. Ballots received after Election Day with a postmark later than November 3 cannot be counted, according to state law. If you haven’t received a ballot, contact your County Auditor’s Office for a replacement. If you would like a replacement ballot to be mailed to you, don’t wait until the day before the election to request one. If there is not enough time to receive and return a replacement ballot by mail, you may pick up one in person at your County Auditor’s Office. 

Voters can also drop off their ballots at a ballot drop box provided by each county.  To check on ballot drop boxes locations in each county, go to MyVote . The deadline to place ballots in a drop box is 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Besides lots of local races on the ballot, there also are two statewide measures – the Tim Eyman-sponsored Initiative 1033, which proposes capping annual growth in city and county general funds, with excess revenue dedicated to property tax relief; and Referendum 71, which asks voters to approve or reject the bill (SB 5688) passed by the Legislature this year that expands the rights and responsibilities of domestic partnerships. Just to clarify, if you support this bill, you’ll want to vote to approve R-71; if you oppose this bill, you’ll want to vote to reject R-71.   

For more info on the election, go here to see the General Election Online Voters’ Guide.

6 thoughts on “Get ballots in by Election Day

  1. Where are the ballot drop box locations in King County? This website says I go to MyVote to find them, but they are not there?

  2. Agreed “MyVote” doesn’t show ballot locations – please see the link by Brian above….to save time and frustration.

    I sincerely feel that people that would miss the 8pm deadline, due to this misinformation in the above article should be able to have their ballots counted if they have a time dated sign on here by the 8pm deadline. It took me far to long to find the information I needed. (which by the way wouldn’t have been an issue had the signature security flap still been in place, as I would have felt comfortable sending this via US Mail). I only learned about this change today as I was going to place my vote in the envelope.

  3. To find a ballot drop location using My Vote, you first have to type in your first and last name and your birth date after you access My Vote. You then should have seen a button saying “My Ballot Dropbox Places and Voter Service Centers.” You would then click that button to find out ballot drop locations near you.

  4. Hi Charlie – Good question. If the Thurston County ballot had been received in a Whatcom County drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day, then it would be a valid ballot. Whatcom County would date-stamp the ballot envelope and send it to Thurston County, along with any provisional ballots received in Whatcom going to Thurston. – Brian

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