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News / Opinion / Columns

Camden: Words of comfort for casting ballots

By Jim Camden

Published: September 8, 2020, 6:01am

If anything about casting a ballot is giving you sleepless nights, congratulate yourself for being a conscientious voter. And take a deep breath because there may be some things about Washington’s election system you don’t quite understand. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

How do I get an absentee ballot for the November election?

You probably do not need an absentee ballot if you live in Washington. It’s a vote-by-mail state. The counties mail ballots to every registered voter about three weeks before every election. Voters mark them and mail them back. If you will be unreachable for the entire three weeks before the election, contact the Elections Office about a special absentee ballot.

How soon will I be able to vote?

As soon as you receive your ballot, which should be in mid-October. County elections offices mail ballots starting Oct. 16. Large counties have so many ballots that they sometimes spread out the mailing over two days to keep from overwhelming the U.S. Postal Service.

But I’ve seen commercials with people urging me to vote right away. Why can’t I vote now?

For one thing, Washington’s general election ballot isn’t set yet. There are three minor party candidates for president who are still trying to qualify for the ballot. But the main reason is the timing for mailing out ballots is set by law, and the elections offices work backward from those deadlines to have some 4.5 million ballots and the needed envelopes printed.

What about the postal delays I’ve been hearing about?

That initial mailing of ballots goes out at a bulk rate, which under postal regulations can take up to 10 days to deliver. Even if it takes that long you would still have a week before the election. But Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton said that’s no different from past years, and in the vast majority of cases, ballots either arrive within four days, or not at all.

So 10 days go by and I don’t have a ballot, am I out of luck?

No. You can call the county Elections Office and request another ballot, which will be sent out with First Class postage, with a much faster delivery schedule. But first, you might want to check to see whether the original was tossed into a stack of junk mail.

What if I like to vote on Election Day or the day before and didn’t notice my ballot was missing until then?

Your best option would be to go to the Elections Office before 8 p.m. and request a ballot, which will be issued to you, and you can vote it then.

Still a little worried about not getting my ballot on time. Anything I can do?

You can make sure the Elections Office has your correct address by going to voter.votewa.gov at any time and plugging in the requested information. If the address is wrong, you can correct it.

What if someone steals my ballot?

That’s rare. But if it happened, the thief would also have to be able to re-create your signature, which is checked by the Elections Office when it arrives. If that signature is rejected, you’d be notified and then request replacement.

What about getting my ballot back in time?

The return envelopes are postage paid, First Class. They can be mailed back as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 3, or deposited in a drop box by 8 p.m. that day. If you wait until the last minute to mail them, make sure they are going to be postmarked that day. If you wait that long, it might be better to put them in a drop box.

How do I know if my ballot gets to the Elections Office?

You can track it online, also at voter.votewa.gov. That site will tell you when your ballot has been mailed, when it has been received, when your signature has been checked and either verified or questioned, and when it has been sent to tabulation.

But not when it has been counted?

Once the ballot has been sent to tabulation, the identifying information on the outer envelope is gone, so it can’t be individually tracked. That way no one knows how you voted, only that you did vote.

Will my ballot be rejected if it isn’t received by Nov. 3?

No. As long as it is postmarked by Nov. 3, it will be processed and counted for up to three weeks after the election.

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