Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Washington state voters are getting the message: Don’t wait to turn in your ballots.
As of Friday afternoon (Oct. 23), 705,231 ballots had been returned with 66.4 percent arriving via drop boxes, a sign early voters are heeding repeated warnings from state and local officials to steer clear of the U.S Postal Service to ensure their ballots are counted.
Voters are turning in their ballots fastest in Jefferson County in Western Washington, which had 32.8 percent of ballots already in hand. Five other counties — San Juan, Asotin, Thurston, Lincoln and Skagit — topped 20 percent on Friday.
By sheer volume, the state’s three most populous counties — King, Snohomish and Pierce — accounted for 47 percent of ballots mailed in or put in a drop box.
Overall, 13.7 percent of the state’s 5.15 million registered voters had turned in a ballot. At this stage four years ago, 13.9 percent of voters had done so.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said this week that he’s not expecting final turnout for the Nov. 3 election to eclipse the 64.6 percent mark for 2022.
“I hope it’s higher,” he said, but some voters only engage when there is a competitive high-profile statewide contest, like for a U.S. Senate seat. There isn’t this time, but there was four years ago when Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray defeated Republican Tiffany Smiley.
Hobbs is pleased drop boxes are the first choice of most early voters. Since August, election officials have sounded the alarm over the Postal Service not postmarking mail-in ballots on the day they’re received due to reduced service and faraway processing centers.
Voters who mail their ballots back are being told to do so at least a week before Election Day. And next week, Hobbs said, they should go to their local post office and ask a clerk to postmark it on the spot.
More than 20,000 ballots were not counted in the August primary because of a late postmark. In rural counties, the percentage of rejected ballots this year was much higher than the 2024 primary.
Meanwhile, in the current election, 4,229 ballots have been challenged thus far. Of those 2,026 had a signature on the return envelope that did not match on the voter’s registration form, and 1,374 weren’t signed. Those who voted with those ballots will be given a chance to cure the problem and have them counted.
With voting underway, Hobbs said election officers continue to deal with a maelstrom of challenges and threats from a federal government that’s tried to exert more authority over elections.
Unlike past cycles, he said the federal government has not shared as much real-time information on potential security threats and bad actors. On Oct. 21, Hobbs said he expected to receive a classified briefing “soon” and that Washington is part of a separate multistate task force monitoring for potential bad actors.
In the summer, the U.S. Department of Justice threatened Washington state election officials with criminal prosecution if they fail to prevent noncitizens from voting in this year’s federal elections. In recent weeks, more than 60 subpoenas for records of individual voters have been received from federal authorities.
Hobbs said the office is reviewing the subpoenas to ensure the responses comply with applicable state and federal laws.
“We take our responsibility to protect voter information seriously and will only respond to requests that follow due process,” he said. “However, we see what’s happening in California and don’t want Washingtonians to be harassed.”
The Trump administration has sued California to prevent the counting of thousands of ballots that it alleges were cast by noncitizens. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has filed a legal brief opposing the federal government’s demand.
Hobbs also anticipates federal election observers will be present in some counties, such as in Southwest Washington where the hotly contested race for the 3rd Congressional District is taking place.
This week the Trump administration informed King County leaders that federal monitors will be sent there though it’s unclear what role they’ll play. Critics fear they’ll try to interfere with elections, but the U.S. Department of Justice maintains their efforts are routine.
This year’s situation is more difficult than elections two and four years ago, Hobbs said, because of the constant “push and pull” with the Trump administration.
Hobbs and Brown put together a guide to help election officials navigate the terrain.
“The federal government is not really there at the same time they’re throwing monkey wrenches at us,” he said.
6 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Honestyandrealityguy
I wonder how many felons, dead people and illegals are allowed to vote this year? So sad. Why aren't these folks removed? Sad.
4 hours ago Report this
MartyKenney
Washington Voting is so impressive. I think we have one of the best voting systems in the country, its a shame more states havent adopted it. Keep voting!
4 hours ago Report this
wellnow77
Oh, the felons and illegals are voting?? And eating your cats and dogs too??? Don't be too sad - it's not happening!!
4 hours ago Report this
RondaLarsonKramer
@Honestyandrealityguy, the information you have received is not correct. The voter rolls are cleaned up on a daily basis. County auditors do research into each case where an issue arises.
Regarding felons, in 2022, Washington restored the right to vote for people with felony convictions, meaning that anyone with a felony conviction can vote as long as they are not currently in total confinement. The Department of Corrections provide the Secretary of State's office with lists of persons who are ineligible to vote with a felony conviction and who are currently incarcerated. Each month, the Elections Division compares the most recent list to the voter registration database using names and dates of birth.
Regarding noncitizens, in a March 31, 2026 statement, Secretary Hobbs reported that Washington had identified just 15 cases of noncitizen voting between 1982 and 2025, representing approximately 0.000006% of ballots cast over that period. As to claims by the federal government today that they found hundreds of noncitizens voting in this state, there is substantial documented evidence that federal citizenship databases have incorrectly identified eligible voters as noncitizens. The problem often involves naturalized citizens. Government databases may contain records showing that someone was once a noncitizen but fail to reflect that the person subsequently became a U.S. citizen.
Regarding dead people, each month, the Office of the Secretary of State receives a list of deceased people from the Department of Health, as well as the Social Security Administration. These lists are compared to the voter registration list and potential matches are flagged for research by the County Auditors’ offices. Voter registrations of deceased persons are usually canceled within a month. County Auditors may also remove registrations of deceased persons using published obituaries or written notices from relatives.
3 hours ago Report this
chrispc2u
“They’re eating the dogs…they’re eating the cats…they’re eating the dogs and cats and they’re rigging elections!”. LMFAO. The only threat to out democracy and voting rights is the orange wannabe authoritarian dotard cult leader in the Oval Office. Blue wave baby.
3 hours ago Report this
KarenM
Thank you Rhonda for pointing out the careful work that is done to keep the voter rolls clean. The states are responsible for voting and the federal government should not be interfering. This administration is making up stories and trying to sow uncertainty. Our democracy is at risk with this kind of evil meddling.
3 hours ago Report this