Ballot return deadline is Tuesday

MOSES LAKE - Washington voters must have their ballots postmarked or returned to an official ballot drop-off site by tomorrow, Nov. 8.

Secretary of State Sam Reed is predicting a 47 percent ballot return, with roughly half of those to be processed and reported by the counties on election night, according to David Ammons, communications director for the Office of the Secretary of State.

Other ballots will be at the courthouse, but not yet processed, and others will still be in the mail - including those from military and overseas voters.

"In order to be counted, the signature on each ballot envelope must match the one on file for the voter," Ammons stated. "This is a labor-intensive process, but very important in combating voter fraud."

There are 3.66 million registered voters in Washington, Ammons stated. This is the first statewide general election run entirely by mail, since the last of the 39 counties, Pierce, made the switch to vote-by-mail this year.

Returns will be available online at www.vote.wa.gov beginning after 8 p.m. Tuesday, and will be updated instantly as counties report in their results. Most counties will report only once on election night.