Photo by Ferdinand Stöhr on Unsplash
Election Day is just around the corner on Tuesday, November
7! There are 4.2 million active voter registrations in Washington State—are you
one of them? You can check your voter registration status here.
Washington is a
vote-by-mail state and ballots for the General Election were mailed October 20.
In order to be counted, completed ballots must be post marked no later than
Election Day or returned to a ballot drop box by 8PM on Election Day. You can
find more
details about voting by mail here.
Photo by Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash
How can you get
reliable information about candidates and issues to inform your vote?
Voting is complicated! There are many different candidates
and ballot issues. It can be helpful to talk about voting with your friends and
family—but your vote is yours alone, and you don’t have to share how you vote
with anyone.
Voters Pamphlet
When you’re deciding about candidates and issues, it can be
helpful to refer to materials like the Voters
Pamphlet which is put together by the Secretary of State. The Pamphlet has non-partisan
information, including pros and cons about ballot issues, as well as
information supplied directly by campaigns (like statements written by
candidates running for office).
Newspaper Endorsements
You can also get a quick guide to an election by reviewing
endorsements in your local newspaper. The newspaper’s editorial board will
endorse candidates and issues, and will usually give a brief overview of why
the newspaper is endorsing one person (or side) over another.
While big newspapers like The Seattle Times will include endorsements
for statewide issues and candidates, regional newspapers (like The News Tribune in Tacoma and The Columbian in Vancouver) will provide
better coverage about elections specific to that area (such as school board
candidates, county measures, etc.). It’s okay if you don’t personally subscribe
to any newspapers—you
can always drop by the Library and read newspapers in person, or use our online
databases to access news articles from home.
Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash
Campaign Websites
Most candidates running for elected office have websites
with information about their experience and their position on local issues. Be
careful, though—any information supplied directly by a candidate or an
organization sponsoring a ballot issue will be designed to get you to vote in
their favor!
Voter Turnout
Only a fraction of eligible voters participate in elections.
In November 2015, 38% of registered voters in Washington State participated in
the General Election. In November 2016, turnout was much higher because of the
Presidential Election—79% of registered voters in Washington cast ballots. You
can find more details about Voter Turnout by Election on the Washington
Secretary of State website.
Can you take a selfie
of your ballot?
Sometimes people like to show off their completed ballot on
social media. According to the Secretary of State website, this is okay in Washington State as long
as you are not doing it for a purpose prohibited by law (like proving that you
voted a certain way because someone paid you to do it). See more
election FAQs here.
Want more information
about voting in Washington State?
