Tuesday is Election Day; voters have until 8 p.m. to cast a ballot

Tuesday is Election Day in Washington and Idaho, meaning ballots must be cast by 8 p.m.

But voters in the two states have very different systems for getting those ballots marked and turned in.

Washington votes completely by mail, so all 3.9 million of the state’s registered voters should have received a ballot at their residence nearly three weeks ago. Some started coming back immediately, but as of Monday less than 1 in 5 have found their way back to local elections offices either by mail or from drop boxes.

Ballots can be placed in drop boxes until 8 p.m., and every county has boxes in key locations. In Spokane County, they are located at public libraries, the downtown Spokane Transit Authority station and the elections office, 1033 W. Gardner Ave.

Or they can be mailed back, which requires a first-class stamp and a postmark no later than Tuesday. That means voters who waited until the last minute to mark their ballot probably should take it to a post office rather than leaving it out for the mail carrier.

Voters who lost or damaged their ballot can get a replacement at a Voter Service Center. Spokane County has one at the elections office and at five other locations. Information on drop box and service center locations can be found at spokesman.com on the Spin Control blog.

Idaho voters cast ballots at their assigned poll stations, which are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. County elections offices have information on the poll site locations, and contact information can also be found on Spin Control.

Washington residents already must be registered to vote. Idaho residents who haven’t registered – but are U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old and have lived in the state for at least 30 days – can do so at their polling station. They have to present photo identification and a dated proof of residence.