Your signature is as important as your vote

Take your time, vote and sign

The deadline to vote in King County’s first all-mail election is rapidly approaching. Earlier this month, more than 1.1 million ballots were sent to voters, many of whom will be filling out their first mail ballot for the February 3 election.

Many households will now receive multiple ballots in the mail and voters must remember to follow directions, take their time, and vote the ballot addressed to them. Ballots should be returned one per envelope and voters should sign the oath on the return envelope with their name on it.

“Voting by mail is a partnership between the elections office and the voters,” said Elections Director Sherril Huff. “We go to great lengths to count every eligible vote. Voters must do their part by following the ballot instructions, signing and sealing their own return envelope carefully, and postmarking their ballot by Election Day.”

All voters should follow these guidelines when voting their mail ballot:

• Carefully follow all instructions for voting your ballot and never sign the ballot itself.
  
• As required by law, the signature on every absentee envelope is verified against the voter's registration record. Be sure to use your legal, professional signature and not simply your initials. If your signature has changed over the years, please update your records with King County Elections because your signature makes your vote count.
  
• Respond immediately if you are contacted by King County Elections. You may have forgotten to sign the return envelope or your signature may not match your voter registration record. Elections officials make every effort to contact voters, but rely on a timely response.
  
• To be counted, mail ballots must be postmarked by Feb. 3, Election Day. Ballots without postage can be returned to a 24-hour ballot drop box until 8 p.m. on Election Day. View ballot drop box locations at http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting/ballotdropboxes.aspx.

New for this election, voters can track the progress of their ballot online, ensuring that their ballot has been received by the elections office and their signature verified. To use the online mail ballot tracker, voters can enter their first and last name and birthday at http://info.kingcounty.gov/elections/mailballottracking.aspx.

Voters who have not received their ballot should call 206-296-VOTE (8683). For more information on the Feb. 3 election, visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/.