OLYMPIA – Legislators have a wide array of changes they think would make the state’s elections run smoother.

At hearings Tuesday, they suggested paying for the postage for voters to return their mail-in ballots, requiring most ballots be in the hands of county elections officials by 8 p.m. election night may be the prime beneficiaries of the state’s current election laws, requiring counties to have more drop-boxes and publishing a voter guide for primary elections. . . 

To read the rest of this item, or to comment, go inside the blog.

When that ballot came in the mail several weeks ago, some of you may have thought: “Oh, plenty of time.”

And when those political commercials started coming hot and heavy during the Olympic games' opening ceremony, you may have looked toward the counter where that ballot sat and thought: “Oh, plenty of time.”

And when the campaigns started calling asking you to mark your ballot for this candidate or the other, you may have hung up the phone thinking: “Oh, plenty of time.”

Well, guess what? You are almost out of time.

8 p.m. today is the deadline for getting those ballots in. They must be deposited in a drop box, or mailed with today's postmark. To make sure it's postmarked, it might be best to take it to a Post Office. For a list of public libraries and other locations for Spokane County drop boxes, check inside the blog.

Oh, and if you forgot where you put the ballot, or threw it out with the junk mail, or maybe the dog ate it, and now you need another one, you can get that at a voter service center. Here's a list of voter service centers for Spokane County.

You have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to mark your ballot, place it in the proper envelopes, seal and sign the envelopes and take it to a drop box or mail it. Be sure if you mail it on Tuesday, it will be postmarked that day, so taking it to the post office is a good idea, dropping it in the neighborhood mailbox in the afternoon, not so much.

If you're wondering where the drop boxes in Spokane County are, go inside te blog. If you live in another county, click here for a map that has phone numbers for all the county elections offices.