Election Connection

The King County Canvassing Board is a public entity that conducts a formal assessment of the election. The assessment includes reviewing vote totals, determining the validity of challenged ballots, certifying the vote and administering a recount.

Canvassing Board meetings take place at the King County Elections office in Renton. All meetings are public. State law mandates that the county auditor – or commensurate official – serve as the Canvassing Board chair. Other members are the county prosecuting attorney and the chair of the county legislative body. Let’s meet the board!

Julie Wise
Director of King County Elections
Julie Wise started as a temporary King County Elections employee in 2000 when she fell in love with the voting process. She served as the Deputy Director of Elections before being elected Director in November 2015. Wise is a Washington State certified Election Administrator and is a nationally Certified Election Registration Administrator.

Kevin Wright
Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Designee
Kevin is the Chief Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County. Kevin manages civil legal matters for the county and oversees 55 prosecutors. He has served on the Canvassing Board since 2008. Kevin earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University Of Washington School Of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University.

Carolyn Busch
King County Council Representative
Carolyn is the Chief of Staff for the King County Council. She has a 25-year-long career in public policy that includes working for the state Senate Democratic Caucus and advising Governors Booth Gardner and Gary Locke on K-12 and higher education policy. Carolyn holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington.

Canvassing Board meetings are open to the public, so stop by! View the Canvassing Board schedule to see when the board meets next.

Well folks, after a whirlwind lead-up, Election Day is over. So, what now? Here are a few things you should know:

1. We are still processing ballots! To date, we have received more than 1 million ballots out of an issued 1.28 million. That’s more than an 80 percent turnout, so great job King County voters!

2. You can track your ballot with our Ballot Tracker. Plug in your information to see if we have received and counted your ballot.

3. If you forgot to sign your ballot envelope or we challenge your signature, we will notify you to provide us with an updated signature and your vote will be counted. You have until November 28^th to do this, but it would be great if you could get back to us as soon as possible.

4. We are regularly updating election results here. However, our results won’t be official until we certify the election on November 29. We process every eligible ballot for every race until we share final results on November 29.

5. Questions about your ballot or the election? Our phone bank is open. Give us a call at 206-296-VOTE (8683).

This election has seen a lot of public discourse about write-in candidates. But before you scribble in your candidate of choice, here are four things you should know:

1. We count the total number of write-in votes for each office in an election. However, we don’t count how many votes each write-in candidate receives unless one of two things happens: a) For single-candidate races: the total number of write-in votes are more than the votes cast for the single printed candidate on the ballot for the same position or b) For multi-candidate races: the total number of write-in votes is more than the difference between the top candidates. In that case, we tabulate how many votes each write-in candidate receives for that office.

2. While it is a voter’s right to write in a candidate of their choice, we recommend that you pick a real person and not a fictional character such as Mickey Mouse. Processing ballots with write-ins for imaginary candidates takes our staff extra time and costs money.

3. Write-in candidates in King County have won in smaller races before. A write-in candidate unseated the incumbent during the 2011 mayor’s race in the City of Pacific.

4. There are two kinds of write-in candidates: undeclared and declared. A declared candidate files as a write-in but their name will not appear on the ballot. However, every variation of their name that is written in will be counted as a vote. So if voters write in John Smith or Jon Smyth, both spellings would count as a vote. An undeclared candidate is one that has not filed and is promoting their candidacy on their own. Their name, however, must be written as the exact spelling. No variations of their name will be counted as a vote.

If you have any questions about write-in candidates, give us a call at 206-296-VOTE.

We’ve been getting some questions about why we color code our envelopes. Are the blue envelopes for Democratic voters? Are the red ones for Republican voters? What’s up with the green envelopes? Let us explain.

Our envelope colors have nothing to do with politics (Washington voters don’t register with a party, anyway) but actually have to do with helping us and the U.S. Postal Service distinguish inbound and outbound ballots. All of the ballots we send to voters are mailed in our signature blue envelopes. The envelope you use to return your ballot is red. This helps our office and the Postal Service distinguish your red envelope as a returned ballot. And finally, the green envelopes are used by overseas and service voters to return their ballots.

That’s it! If you have any questions give us a call at 206-296-VOTE (8683).

One thing many people don’t realize is that their voting record is public information. That means anyone can request access to your voting history. However, the candidates or measures you voted for are not public information. In fact, not even we know how you voted since your identity, once we have verified your signature, is separated from your ballot. Nor do we ever provide your phone number or email address. And, particularly during high-profile elections, campaigns are regularly checking whether or not you’ve returned your ballot. They can then use that information to focus their “get out the vote” efforts on voters who have yet to return their ballot.

So what does this mean? While we can’t promise anything, it definitely stands to reason that once you’ve returned your ballot you may get fewer calls and mailers. Additionally, the more ballots we receive early, the more ballots we can report on election night. Therefore you have multiple incentives to get your ballot in early.

The good news is that many of you already have – our returns so far are 30% higher than what we projected – so keep it up!

King County residents not currently registered in Washington State still have until October 31st to come by in person and complete their voter registration.

Feeling crunched for time? We can help!

The King County Elections Office has extended office hours and is operating:

• Thursday, October 27, 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Friday, October 28, 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Saturday, October 29, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Monday, October 31, 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.

The Voter Registration Annex in downtown Seattle is open Monday – Friday, October 24 – 31, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Procrastinators beware: although the King County Elections Office will be open until 6 p.m. on Monday October 31, we expect to have lines. Don’t wait until the last minute to get registered to vote!

Updated 2/6/2018

Whether you enjoy the morning sitting at your kitchen table with your coffee and ballot, or insist on going in person to vote, King County gives you options. Find the way that works best for you!

Voters can use our Online  Ballot Marking Program to print out their ballot and return envelope. Ballots received in the mail or printed out can be marked and returned via USPS mail or to one of our ballot drop boxes throughout King County.

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Ballot drop boxes are now open for the November 8 General Election. Once you vote, return your ballot to any one of the 43 drop boxes throughout King County. No stamp is necessary.

Did you know that more than 91% of County residents live within three miles of a ballot drop box?  Find the one nearest you on our ballot drop box map.  Drop boxes are open 24 hours a day and will close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

You can also mail your ballot through the Postal Service. You only need one stamp but ballots must be postmarked by November 8.