OKANOGAN – It’s not to late for people to cast their vote in the general election, even if they are not currently registered.
In 2018, Washington state passed SSB 6021, which gives voters more time to register to vote or update their address before any Primary, Special, or General Election. This came into effect on June 20, 2019 and is known as Same Day Registration because voters can register or update their address in-person up to and including on Election Day and receive a ballot that same day.
Previously, to be eligible to vote in an election, new registrations had to be completed in-person eight days prior to the election. New registrations submitted by mail or online had to be received by election officials 29 days prior to the election. Updates to existing registration information also had to be received 29 days before the election.
Now, eligible voters have up until 8 p.m. on an election day to register to vote, or update registration information, in-person at a voting center or county elections department. The deadline for registrations or updates by mail or online has been moved from 29 days to eight days before an election.
In Okanogan County, potential voters can register and vote up to Nov. 5, at the Okanogan County Auditor’s Office in the courthouse 149 3rd Ave. N, Rm.104 in Okanogan. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is open until 8 p.m. on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 5. The office can be contacted by email at elections@co.okanogan.wa.us or by phone at 509-422-7240.
Voters can also register online by visiting the Washington State Secretary of State’s website at https://www.sos.wa.gov and clicking on elections and following the link to register here.