July 4 is voter registration deadline despite holiday

By Evan Smith

The July 4 holiday will have little impact on the voter registration deadline.

Monday, July 4 is the last day before the Aug. 2 primary election for voters to register online or by mail or to update an existing registration.

Voters who register on line or by mail can send registration material through July 4 although mail voters need to be aware of early pick-up times at some post offices.

New Washington voters may register through July 25, but after Monday, July 4, they must register in person at the Snohomish County auditor’s office in Everett.

Voters can register online.

Mail registration forms are available at the auditor’s office, 3000 Rockefeller Ave, Everett, at any local library or at some other government offices. Forms also are available online.

In person registration is at Snohomish County Elections, County Auditor’s office, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett, First Floor, Administration Building West.

Having the registration deadline on the Fourth of July is new.

It came about as Washington’s primary-election day moved earlier in August.

That has meant that the 29-day registration deadline has come earlier than before.

The deadline for decades was 30 days before an election, which meant that the deadline was on a Sunday. That led some counties to keep an elections office open on the weekend for few or no customers. So the Legislature cut the deadline from 30 to 29 days and added the eight-day in-person deadline for new Washington voters.

Primary Election Day has moved earlier to give elections officials time to certify results in time for general-election ballots to be printed in time for the early mailing required for military and overseas voters.

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.