The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
31°F
Current Conditions
Mist
View complete weather report

Color Scheme

Subscribe now

Ballots for August primary will be mailed Wednesday

Dave Sullivan places his ballot in a ballot box outside of the downtown Spokane Library on Nov. 7, 2016. This year’s primary election is Tuesday. Voters must place their ballots in one of the county’s drop boxes by 8 p.m. Tuesday or ensure they’re in the mail and postmarked no later than Aug. 2. (Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review)
By Mitchell Roland mitchellr@spokesman.com(206) 397-6144

Registered voters in Spokane County should expect to receive their ballots as early as Thursday for the August primary, and are encouraged to return them as soon as possible.

The Spokane County Auditor’s Office will begin to mail ballots Wednesday for the Aug. 5 election. This year’s ballot includes races for school boards, fire commissions and city councils alongside several local measures.

“As soon as the ballots start going out, our drop boxes are open,” Spokane County Auditor Vicki Dalton said Tuesday. “So all you need to do is look for the most convenient drop box and put it in there, or you can just put it right back in the mail, no postage required.”

Dalton said that voters should expect to receive a printed voter’s guide, which is mailed to every household in the county. The guide includes information regarding what’s on the ballot, candidate-submitted information and statements, and statements of support and opposition for any issues on the ballot.

The voter’s guide is also available online at spokanecounty.gov/178/Current-Election.

Dalton said voters who don’t receive their ballot in the mail by the middle of next week can contact the auditor’s office to double-check that their registration is up to date with their current address.

“Because sometimes that is the problem. It may be that you’re registered for a different jurisdiction, or that you’re not even registered for Spokane County. Maybe you moved from King County and never changed your voter registration,” Dalton said.

The deadline to register to vote or to update your registration online or through the mail is July 28.

“After that point, you need to actually physically come into the office,” Dalton said.

Voters can update their voter registration in person through 8 p.m. on election day. The deadline to submit a ballot at a drop box is 8 p.m. on election day. Ballots submitted by mail must be dropped in the box early enough to be postmarked Aug. 5.

“We do hope that people study the information, make a decision, get their ballots marked, and get them sent in early,” Dalton said. “Please don’t wait until election day or close to election day to send them back.”

Dalton said that waiting to return a ballot can mean delayed results as ballots submitted on election day slowly trickle in in the following days.

Voters can check their ballot status online at votewa.gov.

“I know that everybody wants the results quickly, but if everybody waits until right at the end, it’s going to take us time to get those results done,” Dalton said.

Initial results in the election will be released at around 8:15 p.m. on election day. The election will be certified on Aug. 19.

Typically, turnout for both primaries and off-year elections trails the turnout for elections with a presidential race at the top of the ticket. While more than 77% of registered voters submitted their ballots in the November 2024 election, only 24.9% did so in the August primary in 2021.