60,500 ballots now returned

Election Day may be six days away, but nearly a fourth of Spokane County voters have already cast ballots.

The Spokane County Elections Office said it has received some 60,500 absentee ballots, or about 40 percent of ballots it sent out some 10 days ago. Bags full of ballots arrive every morning in the office, which must process each mail-in ballot to make sure it is properly signed.

Secretary of State Sam Reed said he believes similar levels of mail-in ballots are being received in counties around the state, although his office is not keeping a running count.

The number of absentee ballots has steadily increased in the state during the past four years, and more Spokane residents vote by mail than go to the polls. Spokane has slightly fewer than 252,000 voters, and 147,000 of them vote by mail. That number has more than doubled since 2000, Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton said.

In previous years, voters tended to wait until closer to the election to mail their ballots, Reed said. This year, more people seem to be marking them and mailing them back as soon as they get them.

“It could be a sign of how eager people are to participate in this election,” Reed said.

It could also be a sign that more people long ago decided how they were going to vote, and don’t think anything’s going to change their mind, he added.

Voters can request an absentee ballot until Monday by going to the county elections office at 1033 W. Gardner Ave. Absentee ballots must be postmarked no later than next Tuesday, and elections officials suggest that voters mailing their ballots on Election Day take them to a post office to ensure they are postmarked that day.