King County sees early surge at ballot drop boxes

Oct. 19, 2020 Updated Mon., Oct. 19, 2020 at 9:42 p.m.

Lummi Nation tribal member Karen Scott drops her completed ballot into a drop box Monday on the Lummi Reservation, near Bellingham, Wash. Washington Native Vote Day is Tuesday, where tribes throughout the state connect, mainly remotely this year because of the coronavirus, with each other to encourage tribal members to register to vote and to cast their ballots. (Elaine Thompson)

Associated Press

SEATTLE – King County election officials are predicting voter turnout up to 90% and early indications show record-breaking numbers of ballots being returned.

King County officials estimate that from Thursday, Friday and Saturday, upward of 50,000 ballots were dropped in ballot boxes.

In the first five days of early voting in Washington’s most populous county in 2016, only 10,659 were collected, officials said.

On Saturday, the county tweeted that multiple drop boxes had become so full, voters were unable to get their ballot through the slot.

Friday was the deadline for counties to mail ballots to voters.

Washington is one of five states, along with Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon and Utah, that conduct election entirely by mail-in voting.

Additionally, Tuesday is Washington state’s Native Vote Day, where tribes throughout the state connect, mainly remotely this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, with each other to encourage tribal members to register to vote and to cast their ballots.

It wasn’t until 1962 that every state in the nation secured the right to vote for Native people.