Whatcom County has 21 ballot drop boxes for the election. Here’s where they’re located

Editor’s note: This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org.

This year’s Nov. 5 general election is approaching quickly, which means it’s time to start coming up with a voting plan.

Washington state offers a few different options for how to cast your ballot, and one of the most convenient ones is casting your ballot in a drop box. Since the state mails every registered voter a ballot, all you have to do is fill out your ballot, find a drop box nearby, and drop it off there.

Whatcom County has 21 voting drop boxes, and according to the Office of the Secretary of State, that’s in addition to an in-person polling center at the county auditor’s office in downtown Bellingham. You can drop off your ballot at any time between Oct. 16 and election day, when boxes will close at 8:00 p.m.

Ballot drop boxes in Whatcom County

If you’re looking for the nearest drop box to you, here’s the complete list:

• Acme Elementary School, 5200 Turkington Rd., Acme

• Birch Bay, 4581 Birch-Bay Lynden Rd., Blaine

• Blaine Library, 610 3rd St., Blaine

• Custer Elementary School, 7660 Custer School Rd., Custer

• Deming Library, 5044 Mt. Baker Hwy., Deming

• Everson WECU, 106 E. Main St., Everson

• Ferndale City Hall, 2095 Main St., Ferndale

• Kendall/North Fork Community Library, 7506 Kendall Rd., Maple Falls

• Lummi Nation Admin Building, 2665 Kwina Rd., Bellingham

• Lynden Library, 216 4th St., Lynden

• Maple Falls, 7392 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls

• Meridian/Laurel Grange, 6172 Guide Meridian, Bellingham

• Point Roberts, 480 Tyee Dr., Point Roberts

• Regal Barkley Village, 3055 Woburn St., Bellingham

• Sehome Village, 210 36th St., Bellingham

• Sudden Valley, 2020 Lake Whatcom Blvd., Bellingham

• Sumas, 534 Railroad Ave., Sumas

• Whatcom Community College, 620 W. Kellogg Rd., Bellingham

• Whatcom County Courthouse, 247 Grand Ave., Bellingham

• WWU - Red Square, 516 High St., Bellingham

• WWU - Wade King Student Recreation Center, 1880 Bill McDonald Pkwy., Bellingham

• There will be an additional drop box on election day only at WWU’s Viking Union building, according to Whatcom County

How do you register to vote?

In Washington state, you can register to vote online or by mail until Oct. 28, or in person through election day.

To check if you’re registered or to register online, you can visit voter.VoteWA.gov. You will be asked to provide your full name and date of birth to verify if you’re registered.

If you have any addition election-related questions, you can check with the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office or email elections@co.whatcom.wa.us.

This story was originally published September 14, 2024 at 5:00 AM.