Whatcom County voters may soon receive a postcard from the U.S. Postal Service encouraging voters to “plan ahead” for the November 3 General Election. Among the recommendations is to request a mail-in or absentee ballot at least 15 days before Election Day.
“Voters in Whatcom County do not need to request a ballot, as ballots are automatically mailed to all registered voters 20 days prior to Election Day. There is no need to sign up or request to receive a mail-in ballot to vote in the upcoming election” stated County Auditor Diana Bradrick. Voters who are unsure if they are registered to vote or if their address on file is current can log in to VoteWA.gov to confirm their registration information. Voters are also welcome to contact the Auditor’s Office at [email protected] or phone 360-778-5102.
County election officials, and the Office of the Secretary of State were not made aware this mailer would be sent to Washington residents, nor were we apprised of its content. By the time we learned of the mailer and reached out to the postal service, the mailers were already in the mail stream.
Voters are encouraged to check the status of their registration now at VoteWA.gov, and to contact the Auditor’s office if they have not received a ballot by October 21st. Ballots must be postmarked election day or received in a ballot drop-box by 8:00 pm on election day, November 3. USPS recommends mailing at least a week before election day, and voters are encouraged to check the last mailbox collection time in order to ensure their ballot will be postmarked in time said Auditor Bradrick.