Submitted by Erich R. Ebel

Communications Director

OLYMPIA — More than 4.3 million Washingtonians have already received ballots to participate in the 2018 General Election, and thousands of eligible but unregistered voters have until Monday afternoon, Oct. 29, to join them and participate.

In-person voter registration is available in each of the 39 county elections offices until the close of business Monday afternoon. Hours of operation for county elections offices can be found on the Secretary of State’s website. County elections officials across the state reported this week that in-person registrations have reached very high volumes, with hundreds of newly-registered voters joining the state voter rolls each day.

“Every eligible Washingtonian deserves to have their voices heard through voting,” said Secretary of State Kim Wyman. “To do that, the first step is registering. Our elections are accessible and secure, and we need informed and participating citizens to make our government truly responsive to the people.”

Secretary Wyman encouraged voters who haven’t yet cast ballots to complete and return them as soon as possible. Those who’ve mailed their ballots using this year’s postage-free return envelopes, or submitted them at available county drop boxes can check ballot status at the MyVote website.

Secretary Wyman offered this additional guidance to people who haven’t yet voted:

•  You should have received your ballot by now. If you have not, contact your county elections office.
•  Be an informed voter. The voters’ pamphlet is a few clicks away when you visitvote.wa.gov.
• Vote early, mail early! A late postmark disqualifies your ballot. Officials recommend mailing by Friday, Nov. 2, or using a county drop box. Drop boxes are open until 8 p.m. Nov. 6. Find the closest one by logging in to MyVote.
• Remember to sign and date your ballot envelope.
• Only let someone that you trust deliver your ballot for you.
• Be suspicious of calls claiming to help you fill out your ballot.

For more elections best practice tips, visit the Secretary of State’s website or follow the office’s Twitter account at @SecStateWA.

Washington’s Office of Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees theCombined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.