King County certifies first countywide all-mail election

22 successful elections since 2004

King County Elections certified the results of the February 3 special election yesterday morning, marking the successful end to the first countywide all-mail election. After a record-setting 1.1 million mail ballots were sent to voters in January, just over 250,000 were returned, representing a 22.4 percent turnout.

Another first, Sherril Huff has become King County’s first elected elections director. In November, voters passed an initiative to make the County’s director of elections a non-partisan, elected position. Voters selected Huff, who was appointed to the position by County Executive Ron Sims in April 2007.

“I am ecstatic for the opportunity to continue to serve the voters of King County,” said Huff. “Although this position is now elected, the priorities of our division remain the same. We will strive to ensure secure and accountable elections by continuing to review our processes to improve accuracy and efficiency.”

King County continues to work toward countywide all-mail voting. Several features of the vote-by-mail system were successfully implemented for the February election including 10 ballot drop box boxes throughout King County, three accessible voting centers and online mail ballot tracking.

“In addition to the work being done in our office, it is essential that voters are knowledgeable and prepared for all-mail voting,” Huff said.

Voters are encouraged to take the following steps to ensure that their ballot reaches them on time and their vote counts.

• The signature on every mail envelope is verified against the voter's registration record. If your signature has changed over the years, please update your records with King County Elections because your signature makes your vote count.
• Ballots are sent to every active, registered voter 20 days before each election they are eligible for. Remember to update your address with our office when you move to ensure that your ballot will find you.
• To confirm your registration information, use the “Your Voter Guide” feature at http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections or call the King County voter hotline at 206-296-VOTE.

Certified results are now available online. Ballots were mailed out yesterday for the March 10 special election, which will also be conducted entirely by mail.