705,000 Washington ballots returned by Friday

More than 705,000 Washington voters have already cast their ballots for the November 3 election. As of Friday afternoon, 705,231 ballots had been returned to election officials. Of that total, 66.4% arrived via drop boxes, indicating that many voters are heeding state warnings to bypass the U.S. Postal Service.

Jefferson County in western Washington leads the state in return rates, with 32.8% of its ballots already in hand. Five other counties, including San Juan, Asotin, Thurston, Lincoln, and Skagit, have surpassed the 20% mark. The state’s three most populous counties, King, Snohomish, and Pierce, generated 47% of the total volume of mailed or dropped-off ballots.

Thirteen point seven percent of the state’s 5.15 million registered voters have turned in a ballot so far. This figure is slightly lower than the 13.9% recorded at the same stage of the election four years ago. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said he does not expect final turnout to exceed the 64.6% recorded in 2022. He noted that high-profile contests, such as the U.S. Senate race four years ago, often drive higher participation.

Election officials have warned since August that reduced postal service and distant processing centers can delay postmarks. Hobbs advised voters who mail ballots to do so at least a week before Election Day. He also suggested that voters ask local post office clerks to postmark their envelopes on the spot next week. In the August primary, more than 20,000 ballots were rejected due to late postmarks, a problem particularly acute in rural areas.

Currently, 4,229 ballots in the general election have been challenged. Of those, 2,026 had signature mismatches on the return envelope, and 1,374 were unsigned. Voters with challenged ballots will have an opportunity to correct these errors before their votes are counted.

Hobbs said his office is managing ongoing challenges from the federal government, including a lack of real-time security information. The U.S. Department of Justice has threatened election officials with criminal prosecution if they fail to prevent noncitizens from voting. Federal authorities have also issued more than 60 subpoenas for individual voter records. Hobbs stated that the office is reviewing these requests to ensure compliance with due process.

The Trump administration has informed King County leaders that federal monitors will be sent to the area. Hobbs and Attorney General Nick Brown have created a guide to assist local officials in managing these federal interventions. Hobbs described the current situation as a constant push and pull with the federal government, noting that Washington is part of a multistate task force monitoring for potential security threats.