Ballots are coming out all over the state – either they’ve already been sent or will be sent out in the next few days. So you should get your ballot by the 16th or so. Need a new ballot? Have you moved recently? Need to know where to take that ballot, if you don’t want to put it in the mail? You can find answers to all these questions at Votewa.gov Sign in with your name and birthdate. After you are logged in, you will see your current address, and you can change your name or address there, if you need to. You will also find several resources on the left side (or under the menu icon, depending on your device)

1. An individualized voters guide for your address, in case you didn’t get a paper voters guide or if it got misplaced
2. Voting Centers – this lists all the drop boxes for your county (same list as the one at the link above)
3. Online ballot – this is a ballot you can print out and use to vote if you didn’t get a ballot or if you lost yours. I’ve never used it, but the instructions are all there. (Note: When your ballot is returned, the Auditor’s office checks your signature against the one on record. Once your signature is confirmed, they mark that your ballot has been returned, and any subsequent ballot with your name/address/signature is not accepted. Also, if you use the printed ballot at this website, any previously mailed ballot is automatically made invalid. But please rip up any unused ballot before discarding.)
4. Ballot Status – This tells when your ballot is sent and when they receive it back. Handy to use to assure that they have your vote safely in hand.
5. Voter Registration – Shows the info they have for you, so you can verify all your voter information.

I vote early and take my ballot to one of the locked ballot boxes. I know that some people don’t like to do that, but –>

1. It reduces the last minute work for the Auditor’s office
2. It allows you to check that ballot status to make sure they have your vote
3. It assures that your vote is counted (if you mail or turn it in on election day, your vote won’t be included in the first count – I like my vote in those first numbers, personally)
4. You won’t forget to get it in on time and lose your chance to vote.
5. If you mail or take your ballot in right away, wait for 1.5 weeks and then check your ballot status on votewa.gov. If it hasn’t been received, you will have time to be able to get a new ballot and take care of the issue.
6. Best reason of all? It takes your name off the “call” and “mail” list of all campaigns. I cannot promise that you won’t get any calls after you turn in your ballot, but campaigns check w/ the Auditor’s office every single day for an update for their returned votes. They remove those names from their call lists. Nobody wants to bug people, but they will pester you until you get that ballot turned in. their candidates count on every vote! So turn in those ballots and get your name off their lists!