General election ballots to be mailed this week as Auditor’s Office continues to advise early return
The Spokane County Auditor’s Office will begin mailing approximately 370,000 ballots to registered voters this week ahead of next month’s general election. Given recent changes to the U.S. Postal Service’s operations, County Auditor Vicky Dalton has advised voters who want to return their ballots via mail to do so earlier than in years past.
“While Washington State law allows ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day, delays in postmarking could result in ballots being rejected,” Dalton said in a statement Tuesday. “To avoid any risk of your ballot being rejected due to a late postmark, we strongly recommend voters using USPS to mail their ballots by Tuesday, October 28.”
The suggestion mirrors a recommendation made by the secretary of state’s office, which advised voters who want to return their ballots via mail to do so a week before the Nov. 4 election. The guidance comes after USPS implemented several operational changes that could result in ballots not being counted.
“We encourage voters planning to return their ballot by mail to consider using a drop box, going to a voting center or county auditor office, or to physically visit a post office within seven days of the Nov. 4 general election,” Charlie Boisner, a spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office, said Tuesday. “Given the operational and logistical priorities recently set by the USPS, we cannot guarantee that ballots returned via mail during that timeframe will be postmarked by the deadline.”
In August, the agency proposed a policy update stating explicitly that it does not guarantee it will postmark mail on the day it is received, which a spokesperson for the agency said would make official a longstanding policy.
The USPS has also reduced the delivery of mail from local post offices to regional processing centers from twice a day to once a day, meaning mail sent on Election Day may not arrive at a processing center until the following day.
Under state law, mail-in ballots can be received and counted after Election Day if they are postmarked on Election Day or before. Last month, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs told The Spokesman-Review that he estimated 30-40% of mail-in ballots come in after 8 p.m. on Election Day, the cutoff time for submitting ballots.
“We’re encouraging everyone, if you’re going to return your ballot by mail, to return it early. That’s what the secretary of state’s office is recommending, one week before the election,” said Mike McLaughlin, Spokane County elections manager. “After that, we’re encouraging people, over the weekend, to use the drop boxes.”
Voters can return their ballots at a designated ballot drop box managed by the county elections office, or have a ballot manually postmarked inside a post office, according to elections officials. A list of these county-operated drop boxes is available online and is provided with ballots. Ballot drop box locations include public libraries throughout Spokane County.
“While we are confident in the services the USPS provides Washingtonians every day, we recommend taking full advantage of the 18-day voting period, vote early and sign up for text notifications by visiting votewa.gov,” Boisner said. “For those that are unable to return their ballot until closer to Election Day, we highly recommend using the other return methods available.”
According to Boisner, 32.8% of ballots across the state were returned via mail during the 2024 general election, while approximately 66% of voters used a drop box. During the 2023 election, 43% of voters returned their ballots by mail while nearly 56% used a drop box.
McLaughlin said if voters don’t receive their ballot by Oct. 22, they should contact the auditor’s office for a replacement ballot. Voters can check their ballot status online at votewa.gov.
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 Nov. 4.
McLaughlin said voters will also soon receive a voter’s guide in the mail, which includes candidate-submitted information. The voter’s guide is also available online at spokanecounty.gov/178/Current-Election and is available in both the auditor’s office and Spokane Public Libraries.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect that ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4.