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Editor’s note: The following is a press release from the Washington State Secretary of State.
The United States Supreme Court ruled Monday, Sept. 14 that the U.S. Postal Service cannot place new restrictions on mail-in voting before the upcoming midterm election.
“Today’s decision reaffirms what we already know: the USPS rule would create unnecessary disruption and put our voters at risk. Washington’s election workers are already hard at work preparing to carry out a safe, secure, and accurate election,” Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said in a press release. “Now, that work continues without having to upend our election processes to meet unrealistic ballot mail requirements.
“For Washington voters, the message is simple: Nothing is changing about Washington elections right now. Voters will continue to receive their ballots by mail, and I encourage every eligible Washingtonian to make a plan to vote: go to VoteWA.gov to check your voter registration and find official ballot drop boxes near you.
“This is a victory for this year’s election, but I know the broader fight is not over. I will not permit any interference with our state’s constitutional authority to administer elections.”
USPS created new election rules in late August that required states to send the postal service a list of mail ballot recipients and use agency-approved ballot envelopes, despite the fact that some states had already printed their envelopes, or were even close to mailing out ballots.
USPS could refuse to send states ballots if they don’t comply with the new system.
Additionally, an unidentified whistleblower said a new online portal that checks those voter lists before sending out ballots was hastily made and filled with errors. The whistleblower also said it is designed to reject tens of thousands of ballots if there is a scanning error with a single ballot in a batch.
That could have significantly affect a large portion of King County voters; virtually all registered voters received a ballot through the mail during the last presidential election, and about 1/3 sent their ballot back to the county via the post.
With the upheld injunction, it seems unlikely that mail-in voting in Washington State will be affected during the midterm election, and registered voters should expect to have their ballot arrive in the mail shortly after Oct. 14.
If you’re a registered voter and you don’t receive your ballot by Oct. 19, call King County Elections at 206-296-8683.
Voters can also access their ballots online (wa.omniballot.us/sites/53033/site/app/home), and can fill out their selections on the computer before printing them out, or vice versa.
Finally, voters can go to a local election center to vote in-person at Elections HQ in Renton or off-site voting centers at Bellevue College, the Weyerhaeuser Aquatic Center Banquet Hall in Federal Way, Kenmore City Hall, the Green River College Kent Campus and Seattle City Hall.
Election HQ is open year-round, and voters can cast a ballot there starting Oct. 14. Other locations will be open on Saturday, Oct. 31 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), as well as Monday, Nov. 2 (8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and election day (8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.).
There will also be “accessible voting events” where election officials visit local communities for a limited period of time at libraries or community centers to offer registration and ballot services. A schedule of voting events will be posted on the county’s website late-September or early October.
