One-third of Washington state voters have cast ballots

With four days to go before the 2016 general election, about one-third of a record number of Washington voters have already cast their ballots.

This year’s tumultuous presidential election seems to have struck a chord, as a record 4.2 million Washington residents registered before the Oct. 10 online voter registration deadline – up from 3.9 million in 2012, according to data collected by the Office of the Secretary of State.

In 2012, over 80 percent of registered voters turned out on Election Day, which was subsequently cut in half the following year, and dropped to 38 percent in 2015. If trends continue, turnout could surpass 2015’s figures well before Tuesday.

In Spokane County, 37 percent of ballots – 113,468 out of 305,795 registered – have been returned as of Thursday, higher than King (33 percent), Snohomish (29 percent) and Pierce (34 percent) counties.

Nationally, other states have reported early-voting turnout higher than 2012, as well.

Washington is one of three states that allows mail-in voting in all elections.