Editor:
After listening to and reading about the possibility of mail delays, there might be a basic solution to the issue. As soon as I receive my voting brochure, I sit down and read through deciding who I wish to vote for. I can take my time and ask questions if I need to. Then when my ballot arrives, I have made my decisions and promptly fill out the ballot and mail it in giving it plenty of time to get to it’s destination.
Often times when we are listening for the results, it can take days or even weeks to announce who won. I believe this happens because several people wait until the ’11th hour’ to mail them in thinking that eventually the ballot will arrive and be counted.
If we are serious about our vote to be counted, help the post office and the election board by mailing in your ballot as soon as possible. Let’s each do our part.
Jean Pennington
Edmonds
Even better, take your ballot to the nearest ballot box!
Something you forgot to mention of concern is that many of us in this or other states may not even get our ballots in time since the mail is so delayed. A local friend here said mail normally taking 7 days to get to him has been taking 22 days. We need to get the ballots first to be able to mail them right back out or drop them in a ballot box.
Also, everyone should put a 55 cent stamp if mailing their ballot so it’s not treated as bulk mail which can sit for weeks with no timeline for processing.
Or avoid mailing altogether by putting your ballot in the ballot box by the library, preferably several days before Election Day.
We are fortunate to live in the state of Washington where ballots are counted based on postmark, not arrival date. Our lawmakers had the wisdom to determine that a valid ballot should not be dependent on arrival date, over which we have no control. We are also fortunate that we have ballot boxes conveniently located where we can also deposit completed ballots up to 8 pm on election day. In Edmonds, our ballot box is located at the library.
I do agree that we should mail or deposit our ballot as soon as possible so that our ballots can be counted and the results announced on election night. However, ballots properly postmarked or deposited in ballot boxes by 8 pm on election night continue to be counted. Ballots are mailed to voters at least 18 days before election date, so watch for your ballot to arrive.
If you need to register to vote, go to https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters/
If you really want to help the election board get the job done fast, skip the mail in step and put your ballot into the closest drop box even if you have to drive a ways to do it. I’m sure MEN will be happy to publish the location of these drop boxes all over the County. They constantly pick up these ballots and process them prior to election day. Washington State and Snohomish County, in particular, has a very good and accurate election system. Full disclosure I once worked seasonally for County Elections delivering election materials and voting machines when that was the mode of operation. We were good but, believe me, this system is better.
Here is the link to show drop box locations for all of Snohomish County. https://snohomishcountywa.gov/225/Ballot-Drop-Box-Locations
Thanks, Darrol. We will of course remind people of these options as we get closer to Election Day.
Vote early and vote often… 😉 …lol
A state like ours should not be a problem, we have been doing mail in voting for years and most of the wrinkles have been ironed out, but it took us a good five years to get there. Anyone truly concerned I agree with the above posters use a ballot drop box.
The problem is going to be states like New York and Nevada that are choosing months before the election to switch to mass mailings. An increase in requests for absentee ballots they could probably handle for the most part, but bulk mailing everyone on the roles is going to have problems. From the results of their test runs it would be easy to see a million or more ballots not even getting to the right people in New York, let alone in a timeframe that allows them to vote and be counted. Also their verification system is not going to be ready, either a lot of votes are going to get tossed (as happened in the primary) or a lot of suspect ballots are going to be counted.
The really scary voting issues continue to be same day no id voting and vote harvesting. Just ask Sawants challenger, he was winning by 6 points day of and they simply kept counting late and found ballots until he lost.
This year more than ever, it will be important to count as many presidential votes as possible on Election Day. The results need to be clear on election night, so we don’t face the situation of one candidate winning on Election Day and the other candidate pulling ahead days later. This year, that would guarantee chaos and threaten the peaceful transfer of power.
When you talk to family and friends in other states, emphasize the importance of early voting. If you need to apply for an absentee ballot, get that application in early. If early voting is permitted at polling places, go and vote early. When you get your ballot in the mail, vote it immediately and drop it in the official ballot collection box.
I repeat, get as many votes as possible counted on Election Day!
I was chairman of the Republican Party and PCO for the 21st LD area. We used to phone bank the voting records for GOTV efforts. I felt like half the people who I called had either passed away or no longer lived in my area. The voter registration systems are not accurate at all. I’ve heard the same from my Democrat comrades.
There’s a Constitutional right [to all people of any color] to own a gun. If it’s not restrictive to get an ID, pay a registration fee, wait a waiting period, be required to take safety classes, be required to buy a safe, be required to get a concealment permit, to get a back ground check, etc. etc, then why is it restrictive to simply require people to get and show an ID to vote? There is no Constitutional Right to vote. Why do democrats assume POC are the people who can’t get an ID?
The reason Obama removed mailboxes was supply and demand.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/obama-remove-usps-mailboxes/
The list of ballot collection boxes is also included with our ballots. Here is just a few locations:
Lynnwood (in front of City Hall)
19100 44th Ave W
Lynnwood, WA 98036
New Location!
Brier (near City Hall)
2901 228th St SW
Brier, WA 98036
Edmonds (near library)
650 Main St
Edmonds, WA 98020
Everett (courthouse campus)
Rockefeller Ave and Wall St
Everett, WA 98201
Mountlake Terrace (near library)
23300 58th Ave W
Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043
Mukilteo (near library)
4675 Harbour Pointe Blvd
Mukilteo, WA 98275
Woodway (near Town Hall)
23920 113th Pl W
Woodway, WA 98020
Thank you everyone for all of your comments and suggestions concerning voting and getting your ballots in as soon as possible. All of these comments show how conscientious Edmonds residents are. The ballot collection boxes are the thing to safely do. Between the post office, the ballot collection boxes, the election board and all of us doing our part, we will do a good job.
You can also track your ballot from when it is mailed to you and when it has been received and accepted. https://snohomishcountywa.gov/5656/Ballot-Status
Just because a ballot is returned does not mean it is accepted. The ballot must be signed and the signature has to match the signature on file. Another reason to track that your ballot has been received and accepted. Also a safeguard for ballots sent to people who have died or moved away.