Ballots returns ahead of 2012, behind 2008

The count on returned ballots in Spokane County stood at 12.2 percent Wednesday morning.

That’s significantly better than the state as a whole, which was 7.5 percent.

The Wednesday after the ballots are mailed out is often an interesting time to take the temperature of the electorate because by then, ballots have come in from those diligent, eager or early voters — those who got their ballots and voted them either right away or on the first weekend when they had a little time.

The state doesn’t have historic turn-in figures, but we here at Spin Control do for Spokane County. So we say that based on a similar benchmark — just under two weeks until Election Day — the county turn-in of 37,578 ballots so far is:

— Slightly ahead of the percentage of total ballots mailed in the last presidential election. At this point in 2012, county voters had returned 34,206 ballots, which was 11.9 percent of the ballots mailed out that year. Registration is up by about 20,000 voters this year.

— Noticeably behind the percentage, and the actual number of ballots, in the 2008 presidential election. At this point eight years ago, voters had returned 42,021 ballots, which was 16.2 percent of those registered.

In 2008, the final turnout was 85.5 percent of those registered. Four years later, it dropped to 79.5 percent.

For Spokane County voters who have marked their ballot, want to save a stamp and are wondering where to turn it in, here’s a list of drop box locations:

Location	Address	Zip Code
Elections Office	1033 W Gardner Avenue	99201
Airway Heights Library	1213 S Lundstrom Street	99001
Argonne Library	4322 N Argonne Road	99212
Cheney Library	610 First Street	99004
Deer Park Library	208 S Forest Avenue	99006
Downtown Spokane Library	906 W Main Avenue	99201
East Side Library	524 S Stone Street	99202
Fairfield Library	305 E Main Street	99012
Hillyard Library	4005 N Cook Street	99207
Indian Trail Library	4909 W Barnes Road	99208
Liberty Lake Library	23123 E Mission Avenue	99019
Medical Lake Library	321 E Herb Street	99022
Moran Prairie Library	6004 S Regal Street	99223
North Spokane Library	44 E Hawthorne Road	99218
Otis Orchards Library	22324 E Wellesley Avenue	99027
Shadle Park Library	2111 W Wellesley Avenue	99205
South Hill Library	3324 S Perry Street	99203
Spokane Valley Library	12004 E Main Avenue	99206
STA Plaza	701 W Riverside Avenue	99201