Early primary brings summertime voting

Local candidates have a problem this summer. It’s called the primary.

Tradition says Washington state voters don’t start thinking about politics until after Labor Day. But last year the Legislature decided to move the primary from the third Tuesday in September to the third Tuesday in August.

Voters weren’t asking for the extra month before the general election – elections officials were. More counties have shifted to mail-in ballots that can be postmarked as late as election day and trickle in days or even a week later. That means close races now aren’t decided for a couple of weeks, and really close ones might need even more time for a recount before a winner can be declared and the general election ballot can be printed.

Candidates in crowded local races – any race with more than two candidates requires a primary – are the first to experience this new schedule. All five positions up for election in the city of Spokane have primaries this year, as do many other council seats in cities and towns around Eastern Washington. Some school boards also have enough candidates to warrant a primary.

But most candidates say they are less than thrilled with the honor of being first with the August primary. Voters aren’t focusing on campaigns and issues, some said. Then there’s the vacation factor: Some voters will be out of town when ballots arrive and could overlook them in the stacks of mail when they return. Other voters might forget to mark and mail their ballots before leaving and not return home before Aug. 21, the last day they can be postmarked.

Voters could surprise the candidates, become intensely interested in the next few weeks and turn out in record numbers. But even if they don’t, at least voters will have almost three weeks from the time they receive their ballots until the final deadline for mailing them in. Ballots go out late this week.

Spokane County Elections officials are also expanding the list of drop-off box locations for ballots, putting them in all Spokane city and county libraries. Ballots can be deposited in any of the boxes during their regular business hours until 8 p.m. election day.

The Elections Office also has a 24-hour drop-off slot in its front door at 1033 W. Gardner Ave. On election day it will also operate five “voter service centers” that can accept ballots and issue provisional ballots to registered voters who lost or did not receive a mail-in ballot. They’ll be at the West Gardner Avenue office; the North Spokane Library, 44 E. Hawthorne Ave., Spokane; St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 316 E. 24th Ave., Spokane; CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley; and Cheney Library, 610 First St., Cheney.

New voters have until Aug. 6 to register but must go to their county elections office to fill out a form.