Check your mailbox. Whatcom County has started mailing ballots for the Nov. 5 election
Ballots for the Nov. 5 general election are being sent to voters starting Wednesday in Washington, where all voting is by mail.
Candidates for federal and statewide offices are on the ballot this year, including U.S. president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House members, Washington governor and state executive offices, and the state Legislature.
In addition, there are four statewide ballot initiatives seeking to overturn state law.
Locally, there’s a Whatcom County charter amendment to prevent anyone from holding more than one elected office at a time, and local tax measures for Blaine and Meridian schools, Fire District 1 serving Everson and Nooksack, and the Columbia Valley Park and Recreation District. Voters will also choose two members of Public Utility District 1.
Whatcom County has 163,846 active registered voters for this election, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office, which runs elections at the local level.
We encourage you to visit our 2024 Voter Guide if you have questions about your ballot.
Ballots must be postmarked — not simply placed in a mailbox — by 8 p.m. Nov. 5, the official poll-closing time. Postage is free.
Postal Service and elections officials suggest using a special ballot drop box less is you’re casting your ballot than a week before the deadline.
Official ballot drop boxes are available in 20 locations around Whatcom County. A map is at the Auditor’s Office website. Ballot drop boxes will be open starting Wednesday, and they will be locked at 8 p.m. Nov. 5.
All ballots must be signed by the voter to be valid. Elections officials check the signature on the ballot against the signature on file from when the voter registered.
Voter registration and address changes are available online or by mail Oct. 28. After that, all registration is in person from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at the Auditor’s Office in the Whatcom County Courthouse, 300 Grand Ave. Qualified residents can register and vote until 8 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Auditor’s Office.
Voters can go online to vote.wa.gov to check their registration status and to check if their ballot has been accepted once they’ve voted.
This story was originally published October 16, 2024 at 10:16 AM.
