57% of Whatcom voters have returned their ballots. If you haven’t, the auditor has advice
With one week left before Election Day, U.S. Postal Service and elections officials are encouraging Whatcom County voters who haven’t mailed their ballots to use special dropboxes instead of the mail.
Ballots must be postmarked — not simply mailed — by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 in order to be counted.
It’s OK if they arrive after Nov. 3, but they must have a valid postmark, Whatcom County Auditor Diana Bradrick told The Bellingham Herald.
Bradrick said that 90,028 of the county’s 157,245 registered voters had returned their ballots by noon Monday, or about 57%.
Voters can register through Election Day, but now they must do so in person at the Auditor’s Office in the County Courthouse, 311 Grand Ave.
Hours for the Auditor’s Office are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily and special hours are offered 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.
“Anyone completing or updating their registration in person will be required to wear a mask, maintain the six-foot social distancing standard and can expect long lines,” Bradrick said in an email.
Ballot dropboxes are secure locations where ballots can be left, said Secretary of State Kim Wyman.
“These ballot dropboxes were designed with security in mind, and over the weekend we had a demonstration of how important that is when a semi-truck took out one of those dropboxes in Snohomish County, but the ballots inside were protected,” Wyman said at a news conference Monday, Oct. 26.
Some 19 drop boxes are available across Whatcom County, and a 20th location will be available at Western Washington University on Election Day.
Voters who want an in-person experience can deposit their ballots at the Auditor’s Office through Election Day, but they must wear a mask or face covering and might need to wait in line.
Bradrick said the ballot boxes are sealed inside and out with numbered security tape that has been recorded in a logbook.
Those numbers must match when the ballot box is emptied and teams of two people work together whenever ballots are handled, she said.
Further, plainclothes security is watching the ballot boxes in Whatcom and other counties statewide.
Wyman said officials want the boxes to be protected but that elections officials know that police presence could be seen as intimidation or suppression of the vote.
If you’re unsure about your registration status or if your ballot has been received, you can check on it by visiting the Washington Secretary of State’s website.
Dropbox locations
▪ Acme Elementary, 5200 Turkington Road.
▪ Blaine Library, 610 3rd St.
▪ Birch Bay (North Whatcom Fire & Rescue), 4581 Birch Bay-Lynden Road.
▪ Custer Elementary, 7660 Custer School Road.
▪ Courthouse South Parking Lot, 201 Grand Ave.
▪ Deming Library, 5044 Mt. Baker Highway.
▪ Everson WECU, 106 E. Main St.
▪ Ferndale City Hall, 2095 Main St.
▪ Lummi Nation Administration Building, 2665 Kwina Road.
▪ Lynden Library, 216 4th St.
▪ Meridian (Laurel Grange), 6172 Guide Meridian.
▪ Kendall (North Fork Community Library), 7506 Kendall Road.
▪ Point Roberts Marketplace (8 a.m.-10 p.m.), 480 Tyee Dr.
▪ Sehome Haggens, 210 36th St., Haggen Sehome Village, NE Corner.
▪ Sudden Valley, Sudden Valley Security Turnaround, Gate One.
▪ Sumas, 534 Railroad Ave.
▪ Whatcom Community College, 231 W. Kellogg Road.
▪ WWU, on campus outside Wade King Student Recreation Center, 1880 Bill McDonald Parkway.
This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
