April special election ballots mailed in 16 participating counties

(OLYMPIA)— Washington counties participating in the April 28 special election have officially mailed ballots to eligible voters. The 18-day voting period began on Friday, April 10.

Only 16 counties are participating in the special election, with 8% of Washington voters eligible to cast a ballot. This special election includes 17 measures and 17 districts, with a majority of races covering school districts, according to a news release from the Office of the Secretary of State.

Voters participating in the April special election must return their ballots by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28. Ballots can be placed in an official county drop box, returned in person at a county elections office, or returned by mail.

Voters can find open ballot drop boxes near them by logging in to VoteWA.gov. A complete list of open ballot drop boxes statewide is available on the Drop Box and Voting Center Locations web page.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) recommends mailing your voted ballot at least a week before Election Day to ensure it is postmarked on time. Under recent USPS postmark rule changes, ballots may not be guaranteed a postmark on the day of collection. If you need to return a ballot by mail close to Election Day, you can bring it into your local post office and ask a USPS employee to hand-stamp the postmark on it.

“Local elections provide voters with great opportunities to exercise their civic rights and weigh in on issues that have a real impact on their communities,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “County elections officials across the state are hard at work ensuring our local elections are safe, secure, and accessible.”

Eligible individuals can still register to vote in the April special election. The deadline for counties to receive online and mail-in voter registrations is Monday, April 20. Voters may update their registration or register to vote in-person at a county elections office until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Voters can verify their registration is up to date and check their ballot status by signing in at VoteWA.gov. If you have questions about your registration or ballot, contact your county elections office.

Voters can also sign up for text message notifications about their ballot online at VoteWA.gov or by texting “VOTE” to 868392.