      
King County Records, Elections & Licensing Services Division Hours: Monday - Friday (206) 296-VOTE for General Information (206) 296-1565 for Election Info.
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Fact SheetMay 20, 2003 Special ElectionWhat Kind of Election Will This Be?King County, the city of Bellevue, Enumclaw School District, Renton School District and Snoqualmie Valley School District have all requested Special Elections. The elections will be conducted at the polls as well as by absentee ballots requested by the voter. This is a Countywide election. There are 562 polling places servicing 2,635 precincts. There are 57 precincts that because of their small size or remote location, are mail ballot only (Vote by Mail – “VBM”) precincts. In addition, there will be the usual ongoing absentee ballots of which approximately 462,000 are expected to be requested and mailed. All voted mail ballots, in order to be valid, must be postmarked no later than Election Day, May 20, 2003. Registered voters in the VBM election precincts and ongoing absentee voters who have not received a ballot by May 15 should call the Elections Office, at 206-296-8683. What Is on the Ballot for this Special Election?Read the Notice of Elections at http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/2003May/notice.htm Read the Voters Pamphlet for information on the city of Bellevue’s proposal to change to a Charter code city, and for information on candidates for the 15 freeholder positions at: http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/2003May/pamphlet.htm See "Validation Requirements" for additional details on the ballot measures. What Is the Expected Voter Turnout?As of the cut-off date of April 19, 2003, King County has 1,030,484 active registered voters. King County Elections expects an overall countywide turnout of 38%, which is average for a spring levy measure election, with an approximate 60% turnout among voters who vote by absentee ballot. Currently, 44% of King County voters have chosen to permanently vote by mail. See "Election Turnout Forecast" information sheet for more details on voter turnout and absentee ballots. Obtaining Absentee Ballots during Regular County Business HoursAbsentee ballots may be obtained in person at the Elections Office until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 19, 2003 at: King County Administration Building Regular Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday Per State law, no new absentee ballots may be issued on Election Day. Replacement ballots may be issued to voters who have already received an absentee ballot but have lost or damaged their original ballot. One-time absentee ballots may also be requested by phone or fax: To ensure timely ballot delivery by mail, we do not recommend requesting an absentee ballot by phone or fax to be sent out locally to the voter after Thursday, May 15 for the May 20, 2003 Election. Voters in the VBM election precincts and ongoing absentee voters who have not received a mail ballot by May 15, 2003, should call the Elections Office, at 206-296-8683. Election Night Schedule for Reporting Election ResultsThe report of absentee and mail ballots tallied on Election Day are expected to be released by 8:15 p.m., after the polls have closed. Poll ballot return reports for election night, as well as additional mail ballot reports in the days following the election, and the expected percentage of the total ballots counted up to each reporting time can be found in the “Election Report Schedule.” Election staff will be available to handle telephone requests for election results from media and campaign committees on election night usually through 10 p.m. at 206-296-1565. For those with Internet access or who desire results by FAX, see the information below. Election Results on the WebElection results can be obtained on the Elections Web site at http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections (click on Election Results). The first report will be election night at 8:15 and will consist of absentee mail ballots return results. Subsequent results will be posted after each principal ballot run on election evening and on the designated days after the election. Please be certain to set your PC to “refresh” periodically, or refresh your screen manually when looking for Web results on election night! Answer to Frequently Asked Question: Why are the poll results sometimes just 98% on election night? Occasionally, a polling place will have problems with its Accu-Vote device or will lose power or telephone service for the building, or some other mechanical or technical problem. In this case, the ballot results cannot be transmitted to the Election Center on election night, and the ballots must be tabulated and/or the memory cards uploaded to the computer on Wednesday morning. The ballots and memory cards are stored in a locked, secure vault overnight. All media inquiries should be directed to: |
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Updated: May 1, 2003 King County | Elections | News | Services | Comments | Search
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