Earliest Ballots Trickle In For King County's August Primary

Renton WA

22 July, 2021

5:35 PM

Description

RENTON, WA — Nearing the end of the first full week of voting leading up to the August primary, King County Elections data showed more than 63,000 ballots were successfully returned by noon Thursday. More than 1.4 million residents are registered to vote in King County, and most should have received their ballots no later than Monday, July 19. With some exceptions, like the 2020 Presidential Primary, voting periods tend to start out slow before picking up steam in the final days. "We're at about 4.5% turnout thus far (not including what came in from drop boxes today), which is exactly where we had our projections for this point in the election," said Halei Watkins, a spokesperson for King County Elections."We base those projections off of trends from previous similar elections. In the 2019 Primary, for example, we were at 4.6% at this same point in the election." Ultimately, King County Elections predicts voter turnout will hit 40 percent, or 560,000 ballots returned, which is in line with odd-year primaries. Watkins said more than half that total is likely to come in on the last two days of voting. While overall trends are in line with expectations, a few communities are trending a little higher or lower early on. Bellevue and Issaquah were closing in on 6 percent, and Clyde Hill hit 7 percent Thursday. Seattle and Renton were on the lower side for early voting, coming in at 4.1 percent and 3.55 percent respectively. Ballots are not counted until signatures go through the verification process and no results are tabulated until polls close on election night. Voters can use King County's online tracker to follow their ballot on each step of its journey, including when it is delivered, received, verified and counted. Voters still have plenty of time to cast their ballots and return them to one of the dozens of drop boxes around King County or mail them free of charge. Mailed ballots will need to be postmarked no later than Election Day, Aug. 3, and elections officials recommend sending them by the Friday before to ensure that happens. Drop boxes close across the county promptly at 8 p.m. on Aug. 3. Officials encourage voters to return their ballots as soon as possible to avoid accidentally missing the deadline. "When we see the crush of ballots coming at the end, we also see higher numbers of ballots returned too late to count — either because they didn't make it into a drop box by 8 p.m. sharp (not 8:01!) or because they didn't receive an on-time postmark from Election Day or before," Watkins said. "We want folks to get their ballots in on time so we can count them!" All residents who were registered to vote before ballots were mailed on July 14 should have received their ballot within five days. Voters who did not receive a ballot by July 19 can request a replacement online. Residents who need to register to vote for the first time, or change their information, have until Monday, July 26, to do so online or by mail. After that, voters can still register in person all the way until polls close. The vote center at King County Elections' Renton headquarters opened July 14 and will offer extended hours starting July 26. Other vote centers will open in Bellevue, Federal Way, Kenmore, Kent and Seattle, starting July 31. Here are a few helpful links to make sure your voice is heard: Find your nearest dropbox out of the dozens across the county using an up-to-date map.Verify your voter registration status or update your address.Learn more about the candidates and ballot measures in your town, including those that will appear only on November ballots.Monitor your ballot's status using King County's ballot tracker tool.You should have your ballot by now - if not, call us at 206-296-VOTE (8683). Now is the time to use your vote and make yourself heard! Return your ballot by August 3. pic.twitter.com/rIRVOUWX7R— King County Elections (@kcelections) July 22, 2021