The November General Election is approaching fast. In fact as of Friday, August 28th, there are only 67 days until November 3rd, 2020. As all County Officials change their approach to official duties in response to COVID-19, it is more important than ever to know who your county’s election official is, how to contact them, and what they may be doing differently this year. Knowing this information will better prepare you for the General Election to ensure your vote counts!
Who is Your County’s Election Official?
The County Auditor is responsible for administering all federal, state, and county, city/town or school, hospital, fire, cemetery, water, sewer, port, park and recreation and public utility districts elections. In addition to the annual primary and general election, there can also be two special elections in February and April.
Washington State is completely a “Vote by Mail” State. All ballots are now mailed to voters. There is much that goes into preparing and running an election. As part of the election process, the auditor accepts local declarations of candidacy and resolutions, prepares ballots for printing and mailing, programs and tests voting and ballot tabulating systems and provides for public notices.
By contacting their elections office, you could be able to:
- Request a ballot or other voting materials
- File for a local office
- Get help after a deadline
- Make a change to your voter registration
- Request a new ballot
- Find your secure ballot drop-off locations
For an in-depth overview of the County Auditors position, please click here.
How do you contact your Elections Office?
First, you will need to identify which county you live in. After, you can refer to your county’s website and find election information under the Auditor’s Office tab or webpage. You can also refer to a statewide map, hosted on the Secretary of State’s website, that displays election office contact information for each county. You can find a link to that map here.
What services may be different in 2020?
Although the majority of Washington state has made changes to adhere to social distancing and remote services, election services have been available online prior to COVID-19. On the state’s voter portal (VoteWA.gov) , you can change and update your voter registration. However, it is still very important to know what election services may be different this year, in order to prepare for the November General Election.
First, it is important to know the times and dates your local election office is open, and how they can serve you in person. Also, check to see if their location has changed in order to better socially distance their staff, and make sure to ask what their COVID-19 procedures are. You can get this information by calling or emailing your elections office.