Sept. 27, 2006
2006/9/27
Don’t screen this phone call: King County Elections needs to reach you
"This is King County Elections with an important message concerning the September primary election…"
If you’ve heard this phrase on your telephone or answering machine in the last few days, you are not alone. In accordance with state law, King County Elections is making one last attempt to remind voters whose signatures on their absentee ballots either do not match their voter registration or whose ballot was not signed.
"Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence," said Jim Buck, interim director of Records, Elections and Licensing Services. "Each election hundreds of absentee voters either overlook the oath on their return envelope or their registered signature does not match the signature on their ballot envelope. The best way to avoid receiving these phone calls is to make sure to sign your return envelope and to keep your signature and registration information current and up-to-date."
King County Elections’ automated phone system will continue to call voters through Thursday afternoon, the day before certification of the primary.
When an absentee ballot is returned with a signature issue, election officials immediately attempt to contact the voter both by mail and by phone. Contact attempts have already been made for a vast majority of these voters.
If King County Elections does not receive written notification from voters with signatures issues, either a signed affidavit or a new voter registration form, by Thursday, September 28, at 6 p.m., their ballots will not be tabulated. Election results will be certified on Friday, September 29.
King County Elections compares every absentee ballot signature against the voter’s registered signature on file. If the signatures are inconsistent, the voter is contacted.
The most common issue election workers see is that the signature on the absentee ballot does not match the signature on file, or the file signature is missing. In most cases of "no signature of file," the registration was completed without a signature or the quality of the signature is no high enough to perform a comparison. Other issues include:
- The ballot envelope was returned unsigned;
- The signature appears to be from an individual acting as a Power of Attorney, which is not sufficient in Washington State; or
- In the event the voter can not sign his or her ballot, the two witness signatures are missing.
"We have a very close race for second place in the Northeast Electoral District and two close ballot measures. It is important everyone’s valid ballot is counted and we need voters who receive a phone call to act quickly to ensure their ballot can be counted," said Buck.
Extended office hours and locations
To accommodate these voters, King County Elections is extending office hours at its downtown Seattle office from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Thursday, September 28, 2006. King County Elections is located in the King County Administration Building at 500 Fourth Ave, Room 553 in Seattle. Voters may also call 206-296-VOTE (8683) for more information during those hours.
Voters may also visit the following King County Community Service Centers open on Thursday to cure their signature:
Cottage Lake Community Service Center
19145 NE Woodinville-Duvall Rd.
Woodinville, WA 98072
Tel: 206-296-2733
Wednesdays and Thursdays
Noon-7:00 p.m.
Licensing Office at the Regional Justice Center
401 4th Avenue N, Room 1A
Kent, WA 98032
Monday - Thursday, 10:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sammamish Community Service Center
(On the plateau above Issaquah and Redmond)
801 228th Avenue SE
Sammamish, WA 98075
Thursdays only
Noon-7:00 p.m.
(Closed 3:30 p.m. to 4:00)
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