Last-minute voting tips in Washington state
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If you haven't returned your ballot for Tuesday's election — or aren't even registered to vote — you're not too late in Washington state.
Why it matters: Eligible Washington voters can walk into any vote center or county elections office on Tuesday, register and cast their ballot before polls close at 8pm.
The big picture: Washington is one of about two dozen U.S. states that allow same-day voter registration, along with Washington, D.C., per the National Conference of State Legislatures.
- Across Washington state, election officials have set up hundreds of ballot drop boxes where voters can return their ballots through 8pm Tuesday night.
- Here's a map of where they are in King County.
State of play: Washington's mail-in voting system accepts ballots as long as they're postmarked by today (no postage stamp required).
Yes, but: Election officials say that if you want to ensure your vote is counted, drop boxes are the best method at this late hour.
- Lines can form at ballot drop boxes close to the 8pm drop-off deadline, King County Elections spokesperson Halei Watkins told Axios last week, but as long as you're in line for a ballot drop box by 8pm, you'll be able to vote.
- Elections staff will mark the end of the line to ensure everyone who was waiting gets to return their ballot, Watkins said.
- That said, walking up to the line — or being "in sight of the line" — doesn't count, she said.
To replace your ballot if it was lost or damaged, you can go to a vote center and get a new one in person, or you can print a new one by logging into votewa.gov.
- King County voters can mark and print a new ballot using an online-ballot marking tool.
To learn more about races on the ballot and ballot measures, check out our Axios Seattle voter guide.
Go deeper: When to expect election results in Washington state