Ballot Drop Boxes Open Today
Ballots for the November 8 general election have been mailed out. Numerous drop boxes open today, as do a limited number of accessible voting centers. Be sure to sign your ballot envelope and include contact info in case the county questions your signature. If you mail your ballot, put postage on the return envelope worth at least 47 cents in King and Pierce County, and 68 cents in Snohomish County.
The Secretary of State's website has a markable online ballot, along with a lot more information regarding accessible voting.
King County has 43 drop boxes. Among them are ones at:
- Schmitz Hall on the UW campus between University Way NE and 15th Ave NE on the south side of NE 41st St (a block north of NE Campus Pkwy). The box is at the north entrance of the building.
- Seattle Central College a block south of Capitol Hill Station. The box is at the northeast corner of the main building on the west side of Broadway.
- the King County Administration Building, 500 4th Ave, a block east of Pioneer Square Station. The box is at the west entrance on 4th Ave.
- Uwajimaya, just southeast of International District/Chinatown light rail Station. The box is on the east side of the store / west side of 6th Ave S, a block east of the station.
- Beacon Hill Library a block south of Beacon Hill Station.
- Ballard Library, at the corner of NW 57th St and 22nd Ave NE. The box is on the west side of the library.
All are open 24/7.
Pierce County has 30 ballot drop boxes, including one at Tacoma Dome Station. All are open 24/7.
Snohomish County has 12 ballot drop boxes, including at Lynnwood City Hall and the Everett Courthouse campus, as well as a few mobile drop vans that aren't open 24/7.
No postage is necessary at these specially-marked drop boxes, but postage is necessary if you use regular mail drop boxes. Remember to apply 68 cents worth of postage for the Snohomish County ballot.
King, Pierce, and Snohomish County each have only one walk-in voting center open at this time, and only during limited hours. The markable online ballot might be a more accessible option.
If you haven't registered to vote in Washington State before, it is not too late to register. (But don't also vote at your old residence.) October 31 is the deadline for new Washington voters to walk in at your county's elections department and sign up to register to vote. If you turn 18 on or before November 8, you are eligible to register, and then to vote, even if you cast your ballot before you turn 18. In King County, new voters can still register at the King County Administration Building at 500 4th Ave, or at the election headquarters in Renton.
In Pierce County, you can still register at the Pierce County Elections Center, 2501 S 35th St, accessible via Pierce Transit route 3.
In Snohomish County, you can still register at the Snohomish County Elections Office, 3000 Rockefeller Ave, in downtown Everett, 1st Floor, Admin Bldg West.
One big reason to vote here is Regional Transit Proposition 1, also know as Sound Transit 3, which would extend light rail to Ballard, West Seattle, Everett, downtown Redmond, Kirkland, Issaquah, Federal Way, and Tacoma.
The Secretary of State's website can show you your personalized text-based voters' guide. You can also view TVW's video voters guide for statewide offices and ballot questions online.
Seattle Transit Blog's general election endorsements are forthcoming soon.