 August 15, 2005 King and Snohomish County mail military and oversea voters' ballots earlyElection officials stress alternatives available if mail is delayedElection officials in King and Snohomish County today mailed more than 8,600 ballots to registered military and overseas civilians. The early mailing allows a total of 45 days of transit time for voters to receive and return their ballots for the September 20 primary. Today’s mailing meets the United States Department of Justice’s recommended timeframe and demonstrates the counties’ commitment to serving our armed forces and overseas civilian citizens. King County also mailed today more than 4,150 ballots to out-of-state voters. The top priority is to build, print and mail absentee ballots as quickly as possible to give additional time for ballots traveling thousands of miles to over 50 countries including Japan, Iraq and Afghanistan. "This early mailing gives military and overseas voters ample time to vote and mail their ballot," said Dean Logan, director of Records, Elections and Licensing Services. "We go to great lengths to mail these ballots as early as possible, but we need help from voters to make this work. Voters who are away from home traveling abroad or serving in the armed forces need to contact the Elections Office early and keep us updated on where to send their ballots." Veteran, Lieutenant Sabrina Weiner with the United States Naval Reserve joined other veterans and election officials today with a message for the men and women serving their country: "We have a deep respect for the soldiers serving our country and they deserve to have a voice heard in this election." Servicemen and women are strongly encouraged to cast and mail their ballots early to ensure the ballots are returned to their hometown elections office by the certification of the election on September 30. "Overseas voters who don’t receive a ballot by September 1 should contact their local county election officials right away so we can make arrangements to get them a ballot," said Bob Terwilliger, Snohomish County Auditor. "Unfortunately, every year a small number of ballots are lost or delayed during transit, but no one should be denied the right to vote simply because their absentee ballot wasn’t delivered on time." Across the state, election officials plan extra efforts to provide military voters with a variety of options to make their voices heard. Servicemen and women, who do not receive their absentee ballot by September 1, should:
Next month voters will see the same pick-a-party instructions as the 2004 Primary; however, new laws require that voters be especially vigilant, particularly those living overseas. First, voters casting a ballot overseas should take special care to sign their ballot and provide a phone number, fax or email address in case the signature does not match the voter’s original registration form. Second, all voters should follow voting instructions carefully and completely fill in the oval next to their choice. Stray marks outside the oval slow down the process and require staff to duplicate the entire ballot for the counting machine to read the ballot. Military, oversea and out-of-state voters can update their voter information by calling their local elections office at: King County Elections Kitsap County Auditor Pierce County Auditor Snohomish County Auditor |
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Updated: August 16, 2005 King County | Elections | News | Services | Comments | Search
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