EVERETT — Officials at the Snohomish County Auditor’s Office are reminding voters to return their ballots by 8 p.m. Nov. 4, the agency wrote in a release Friday.
Ballots can be turned in at one of 35 drop boxes county-wide or mailed at the post office. Recent changes to the way the United States Postal Service processes mail, however, means voters should be mindful of timing, the agency wrote. Ballots postmarked after election day can’t be counted.
“Reduced mail pickup frequency in some areas and adjustments to the USPS’s postmarking operations may affect how quickly mailed ballots receive a postmark,” the release read. “… To avoid any risk of delay, voters who plan to return their ballots by mail are encouraged to visit their local post office and request a hand-stamped postmark at the counter to ensure timely processing. The USPS provides this service free of charge to customers who request it.”
Snohomish County Auditor Garth Fell wrote that the drop boxes are “the best way to make sure your ballot is received on time,” he wrote in the release.
“Ballots deposited in an official ballot drop box are collected regularly by trained election staff and securely delivered directly to Snohomish County Elections for processing,” Fell wrote.
About 10% of the county’s registered voters have had their ballots accepted as of Friday, county records show. Turnout in odd-year general elections hovers around 40% in Snohomish County, the auditor’s office wrote.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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