The time to vote is rapidly approaching. In Washington State voters are used to mail in ballots. We usually give little thought about filling out our ballot, putting it in the security envelope, then putting the security envelope and ballot into the outer envelope, signing the outer envelope, then putting that envelope in outgoing mail at our mailbox.
With the publicity of mail in ballots during the current presidential campaign, voters might be a little more sensitive about the delivery of their ballots from their home to the county auditor’s office where it will be counted. Will their ballots arrive in time? Will their ballots be waylaid in a room or in a pile on the side of the road?
Will my ballot be stolen by a mail thief? To even suggest such a thing may be an indicator of the writer’s obsessions. After all, mail thieves are NOT after ballots, they are after your identity, like your bank account numbers or credit card numbers which they can turn into cash or purchases, at your expense. But a mail thief could pick up your ballot as he/she looks for bank statements, credit cards, checks, etc. and leave it on the ground somewhere with the other mail that they think they do not need. The chances of this happening all depend on whether you have a locking mailbox and how prevalent mail theft is in your area.
All ballots will be mailed to voters by October 15.
There are things you can do to help ensure that your ballot will be delivered for counting.
One of the commonly advertised things you can do is to vote early. Getting your ballot on its way to the auditor early will ensure that it arrives on time. In Washington State, ballots need to be postmarked by November 3, 2020 to be counted. Mailing your ballot at the last minute could endanger getting it postmarked in time.
If you are concerned about the security around your mailbox, you could take your ballot directly to your local post office and place it in a blue mailbox or take it inside the post office. No postage is necessary. Some jurisdictions recommend mailing your ballot by the Friday before Election Day to ensure that it is postmarked in time.
Or you can take it to a Ballot Drop Box near you by 8pm on Election Day. The Drop Boxes are available 24/7 starting on October 15.
For more information about voting, Drop Box locations, and other election subjects, check out one of the following links,
Washington State:
https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/
Snohomish County:
https://snohomishcountywa.gov/1986/Accessible-Voting-Information
King County:
https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/elections.aspx
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