Rule change could mean some Washington voters will get ballots faster
Washington state voters who don’t receive a ballot for the Nov. 3 election when they’re first mailed might get a replacement one faster, under an emergency rule change Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Ballots are sent to voters by bulk mail starting Oct. 16, and arrive three to 10 days later, Secretary of State Kim Wyman said in a statement.
Wyman said elections officials in Washington’s 39 counties must use first-class mail for replacement ballots or ballots for newly registered voters within 15 days of the election.
First-class mail has a delivery time of two to five days, she said.
But Whatcom County voters will see little or no change, said Auditor Diana Bradrick.
Bradrick said that Whatcom County ballots are sent bulk mail, which costs less than first-class, but first-class mail is used for all voter correspondence afterward.
“All subsequent mail always goes first-class,” Bradrick told The Bellingham Herald.
U.S. Postal Service officials urge voters to mail their ballots a week before the deadline of 8 p.m. on Election Day when ballots must be postmarked.
“Closer to Election Day, many counties throughout Washington already switch over to first-class mail to ensure voters receive materials with enough time to cast their ballots,” Wyman said. “This will provide more consistency statewide, and give voters some peace of mind heading into the Nov. 3 General Election.”
Postage for Washington ballots is paid by the state, but simply mailing a ballot doesn’t guarantee a postmark by Election Day.
Elections officials provide 18 ballot drop boxes across Whatcom County.
Washington state allowed counties to start voting by mail in 2005, and the state has been voting totally by mail since 2011.
