Over 70,000 ballots have been cast in Whatcom Co. Here’s what early voting data tells us

Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 5 — is just a few days away. But with Washington conducting its elections by mail, much of the vote is already in.

The Washington Secretary of State’s office tracks the number of ballots that have been delivered, cast and challenged in each county across the state, updating a dashboard with the latest data. Here’s what we know about Whatcom County from early voting data.

Whatcom County voter turnout so far

As of Thursday, Oct. 31, over 71,000 ballots have been returned in Whatcom County. That’s about 43% of the 166,295 registered voters in the area. Whatcom County ranks No. 22 out of the 39 counties in the state in voter turnout, but due to some of the state’s biggest counties having relatively low turnout so far, Whatcom still outpaces the statewide voter turnout of 39.67%.

75% of Whatcom County’s votes have been cast through a ballot drop box, well above the statewide rate of 57%, while 23% have been submitted by mail.

65+ age group most likely to have voted

The bulk of the county’s ballots have come from its older population, with 55% of votes that have been cast so far coming from people over the age of 55. The 18 to 34 demographic, on the other hand, is responsible for 16% of the ballots cast so far.

That’s reflected in the difference in voter turnout rates across age groups. More than 65% of voters over the age of 65 have already cast their ballots, while that figure is 22.6% in the 18 to 24 age group and 25.6% among people ages 25 to 34.

Challenged ballots in Whatcom County

Before a vote is counted, election officials verify that the signature on a ballot matches the signature on file for that voter. As a result, ballots can be challenged if there’s an issue verifying the voter’s signature.

Whatcom County has seen 576 ballots challenged so far, making up 0.81% of returned votes. Of those, 413 were considered correctable, while the remaining 163 were ruled invalid. Whatcom had one of the lowest rates of challenged ballots in the state. Washington as a whole has seen 0.96% of votes challenged.

You can learn more about how Whatcom County election officials review challenged ballots on the county’s website. You can check your ballot status at voter.votewa.gov, and you can contact the elections division of the county auditor’s office if you have any questions about your ballot.

How WA voter turnout compares to 2020 election

Voter turnout so far this year is far lower than it was in 2020, both in Whatcom County and in the state as a whole. At this point in the 2020 election cycle, the county had received 99,472 ballots. This year, it has received 71,114, despite having 7,500 more registered voters, according to the Secretary of State’s office. As a result, the voter turnout rate as of six days before the election dropped from 62.65% to just under 43%.

That’s in line with the statewide trend, as Washington has seen just under 40% of ballots returned so far this year, compared to 57.5% at this point in 2020. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that, come Election Day, voter turnout will be lower this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic could have affected how and when people voted in 2020.

Election Division open Saturday

The Voting Center at the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. Individuals can register to vote or update their address, get a ballot if they never received one, or a replacement ballot if theirs is lost or damaged.

Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by election day, Nov. 5, for your ballot to be counted.

Registered voters who haven’t received a ballot should contact the Election Division of the Auditor’s Office immediately at 360-778-5102.

This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 12:13 PM.