Oct. 31, 2004

General Election Update

RE: General Election Update

DATE: October 31, 2004

As we approach the final days of the General Election, I wanted to provide an update. The one common theme in this election seems to be breaking records. We anticipate a very busy day at the polls on Tuesday and we are predicting a turnout of at least 82% in King County by the time the election is certified on November 17th.

Here is a sampling of what we are already seeing and what we are projecting:

Record Numbers of Registered Voters

• 1,082,226 registered voters in King County
• 75,567 added since the primary
• 138,729 since January – a 40% increase for the same 10 month period preceding
• the 2000 Presidential election.

Record Number of Absentee Ballots Issued

• 645,818 issued through Friday, October 29th
• 285,691 (44.24%) returned through Friday, October 29th
• Compares to 554,635 issued and 338,178 returned in the primary
• Compares to 449,686 issued and 402,091 returned in 2000
• Projecting a total return of ~ 523,371 for this election

Record Turnout: We are projecting at least 82%, which would be the highest turnout in King County since 1992 (83%) and 1960 (82%). Of that, we expect at least 60% of the ballots to be cast through the mail.

Procedures in place to accommodate record turnout include:

• Additional supplies of provisional ballots for voters whose names are not found in the poll books. (Please see attached notice to Inspectors re: Provisional Ballots)
• Additional training for poll inspectors, alerting them to the anticipated high turnout and the presence of observers.
• Extended training opportunities for individuals and organizations who wish to observe the elections process.
• Extended voter hotline hours to accommodate voters who encounter problems voting or who need additional assistance. Voters should call 206-296-VOTE (8683) with questions.
• An online polling place look-up feature that allows voters to confirm their registration and find their closest polling location (https://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/voterlookup.aspx)
• Daily counts of absentee ballots through Friday, November 5th. Results will be emailed to the press daily at 4:00 p.m. and available online at www.kingcounty.gov/elections.

Election Observers: We expect a number of observers at polling places on Election Day. King County has worked in cooperation with the legal teams from both Presidential campaigns as well as other organizations who have indicated they plan to dispatch observers. We have instructed poll workers to treat observers with respect and to expect to be treated respectfully. Our focus on Election Day will be to facilitate the voting process and ensure access to a ballot for everyone who appears to vote.

Reporting Results: We will begin tabulating absentee ballots at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday with the first results posted at approximately 8:15 p.m., shortly after the polls close. These results will be representative of absentee ballots returned through Thursday, October 28th.

Poll result posting will begin at approximately 9:00 p.m. and will continue until all precincts have been reported for the evening. We expect the Unofficial Election Night Final to represent between 60 and 65% of the total turnout projected for the election.

We will continue to count absentee ballots and report updated returns daily at 4:00 p.m. through Friday, November 5th. For a complete list of absentee ballot reports, visit the results schedule. The General Election will be certified on November 17th.

Voter Information: Leading up to the election, we anticipate that our Voter Hotline, 296-VOTE, will reach maximum capacity and that voters may likely begin trying to get election-related information through a variety of other sources. This will be especially true on Monday, November 1st and on Election Day, November 2nd.

The following information addresses the most common questions asked just prior to an election:

• Confirmation of voter registration and finding polling locations: You can access this information by entering name and date of birth or street address on our website at https://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/voterlookup.aspx.

• Polling Hours: Tuesday, November 2nd – 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
  
• Absentee Ballots: Our office will remain open until 6:00 p.m. on Monday, November 1st to accommodate voters who wish to come in to the office and pick up an absentee ballot. By law, we cannot issue absentee ballots on Election Day.
  
  Voted absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day or returned to King County Elections by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day to be valid.
  
  Voters may also turn in voted absentee ballots through the King County Vote Mobile on Monday, November 1st or at any polling location on Election Day. The Vote Mobile is scheduled at the following locations:
  • 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. Northgate Park and Pool Transit Center, First Ave NE & NE 102nd St.
  • 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Seattle Central Community College, brick plaza, 1701 Broadway, Seattle
  • 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. University of Washington, Red Square

For additional information including a detailed election results reporting schedule, our pre-election forecast, absentee ballot return statistics, and a downloadable list of polling locations, please see our website at www.kingcounty.gov/elections.

Updated: Nov. 1, 2004

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