Election administration in Washington

Election Information
Voter registration
Early voting
Absentee/mail-in voting
All-mail voting
Voter ID laws
State poll opening and closing times
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
The Ballot Bulletin
Select a state from the menu below to learn more about its election administration.
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingSubmit

Election administration encompasses a state's voting policies and methods of enforcing them. These include voter identification requirements, early and absentee voting provisions, voter list maintenance methods, and more. Each state's voting policies dictate who can vote and under what conditions.

THE BASICS

Washington permits online voter registration.

Washington is an all-mail voting state that also has voting centers for in person voters.

Washington holds top-two primary elections.

Washington has a tool for verifying voter registration.

Below, you will find details on the following election administration topics in Washington:

• Poll times
• Voter registration
• Early and absentee/mail-in voting policy
• Voter identification requirements
• Provisional ballot rules
• Primary election type
• Time off work for voting
• Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

• Voter list maintenance
• Post-election auditing
• Election policy ballot measures
• Election policy legislation
• Ballot access
• Redistricting
• Election administration agencies

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

Washington is an all-mail voting state. Individuals who prefer to vote in person rather than by mail may do so at local voting centers, which are open for 18 days prior to the election. The voting period ends at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Contact your county elections department for more information on voting center locations and times.

Voter registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Washington, one must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the state, and at least 18 years of age.

One may register to vote online, by mail, or in-person at a county elections department. Registration must be completed eight days in advance if done by mail or online. In-person registration is available through Election Day.

In 2018, Washington lawmakers enacted legislation providing for same-day voter registration and automatic voter registration.

Automatic registration

Washington automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles, health benefit exchange, and other state agencies approved by the governor.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Washington has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Washington allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Washington law requires 30 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Washington does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.

Verifying your registration

The site Vote WA, run by the Washington Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Early and absentee voting policy

See also: Absentee voting and Early voting

Washington is an all-mail voting state. A ballot is automatically mailed to each registered voter at least 18 days prior to the election. A postage-paid return envelope is included with each ballot. Completed ballots must either be returned by mail and postmarked by Election Day or returned in person and deposited into an official dropbox by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Returning mail ballots

See also: Mail ballot collection and return laws by state

Washington law does not specify whether someone may return a ballot on behalf of a voter. According to Washington law,

“

The voter must be instructed to either return the ballot to the county auditor no later than 8:00 p.m. the day of the election or primary, or mail the ballot to the county auditor with a postmark no later than the day of the election or primary. Return envelopes for all election ballots must include prepaid postage. Service and overseas voters must be provided with instructions and a privacy sheet for returning the ballot and signed declaration by fax or email. A voted ballot and signed declaration returned by fax or email must be received by 8:00 p.m. on the day of the election or primary.

”

Signature requirements and cure provisions

Washington requires individuals to sign a declaration on their ballots, affirming that they are legally qualified to vote and have not voted in another jurisdiction. Washington has a cure provision that requires election officials to compare the signature on a declaration to the signature on a voter’s registration documents. If a signature discrepancy is discovered, the election official must notify the voter so that he or she may correct the discrepancy. Washington law states the following:

“

If the handwriting of the signature on a ballot declaration is not the same as the handwriting of the signature on the registration file, the auditor shall notify the voter by first-class mail, enclosing a copy of the declaration, and advise the voter of the correct procedures for updating his or her signature on the voter registration file. If the ballot is received within three business days of the final meeting of the canvassing board, or the voter has been notified by first-class mail and has not responded at least three business days before the final meeting of the canvassing board, then the auditor shall attempt to notify the voter by telephone, using the voter registration record information.

”

Was your mail ballot counted?

Use the Voter Portal tool provided by the Washington Secretary of State office to check the status of your mail ballot.

Voter identification requirements

See also: Voter ID in Washington

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Washington is an all-mail voting state and does not require voters to present photo identification (ID). Voters may choose to vote in person at a local voting center. According to state law RCW 29A.40.160, “The county auditor shall require any person desiring to vote at a voting center to either sign a ballot declaration or provide identification.” Accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state ID cards, and student ID cards. For a list of all accepted forms of ID, see below.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of April 2023. Click here for the Washington State Legislature's voter ID regulations to ensure you have the most current information.

• Driver's license
• State identification card
• Student identification card
• Tribal identification card
• Employer identification card

According to state law, "Any individual who desires to vote in person but cannot provide identification shall be issued a provisional ballot, which shall be accepted if the signature on the declaration matches the signature on the voter's registration record."

Background

As of August 2023, 34 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 23 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, and 11 accepted other forms of identification. The remaining 16 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.

Provisional balloting for voters without ID

Voters who do not have ID while voting in person may cast provisional ballots. See below for provisional ballot rules.

Provisional ballot rules

Voters in Washington are given provisional ballots, or ballots requiring additional steps or information before they can be counted, under the following circumstances.

(1) If the voter is unable to sign his or her ballot and is unable to be identified by another voter, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

(2) If the voter is unable to present the proper identification, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

(3) If the voter is denied the right to vote a regular ballot, the voter has the right to cast a provisional ballot.

According to the secretary of state's website, "Washington provides in person same-day registration services at county elections offices and provisional ballots are not common. A provisional ballot is a ballot issued to a person seeking to vote who might otherwise be denied the opportunity to vote a regular ballot. Provisional ballots are researched to confirm the voter’s registration before the ballot is counted."

Was your provisional ballot counted?

A provisional ballot is rejected in the following circumstances:

• If the voter is not registered to vote;
• If the voter already voted a regular ballot; or
• If the "[s]ignature on provisional ballot envelope does not match the voter registration record and/or they do not present a proper ID."

Primary election type

See also: Primary elections in Washington

Washington uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot, for congressional and state-level elections. The top two vote-getters move on to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Time off work for voting

Ballotpedia did not find a law specifying whether voters must be given time off from work to vote in this state. Nolo.com notes that states without such state laws may have administrative regulations or local ordinances pertaining to time off for voting and suggests calling your local board of elections or state labor department for more information.

If you know of a relevant policy in this state, please email us. As of 2020, 28 states had laws requiring employers to provide time off for voting under certain conditions.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for convicted felons

In Washington, people convicted of a felony have their voting rights "automatically restored as long as the person is not serving a sentence of total confinement under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections."

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony can not vote while they are incarcerated but automatically regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.

Voter list maintenance

All states have rules under which they maintain voter rolls—or, check and remove certain names from their lists of registered voters. Most states are subject to the parameters set by The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA requires states to make efforts to remove deceased individuals and individuals who have become ineligible due to a change of address. It prohibits removing registrants from voter lists within 90 days of a federal election due to change of address unless a registrant has requested to be removed, or from removing people from voter lists solely because they have not voted. The NVRA says that states may remove names from their registration lists under certain other circumstances and that their methods for removing names must be uniform and nondiscriminatory.

When names can be removed from the voter list

Washington law authorizes election officials to remove the names of voters from the registered voting list if an individual:

• confirms in writing that they have moved outside of their voting jurisdiction
• dies
• is declared by a court to be incapacitated or incompetent for the purpose of voting
• is incarcerated for a felony conviction
• remains on the inactive voter list through two consecutive federal general elections.

Inactive voter list rules

If election officials, using National Change of Address data or other address verification resources, determine that a voter has moved outside of their voting jurisdiction, they are to list the voter as inactive and send confirmation notices to all known addresses. Election officials are also to list voters as inactive if elected or address verification related mail to a voter is returned as undeliverable. If the voter remains on the inactive voter list—by not voting, failing to notify election officials of a change of address, or failing to update their registration information—through two federal general elections, they are to be removed from the list of registered voters.

The Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)

See also: Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)

According to its website, ERIC is a nonprofit corporation that is governed by a board of member-states. These member states submit voter registration and motor vehicle registration information to ERIC. ERIC uses this information, as well as Social Security death records, to provide member states with detailed reports showing voters who have moved within their state, moved out of their state, died, have duplicate registrations in their state, or are potentially eligible to vote but are not yet registered. ERIC's website describes its funding as follows: "Each state pays annual dues, which are determined by a formula approved by the ERIC membership. The formula includes a state's citizen voting age population as a factor."

By 2022, 33 states and the District of Columbia had joined ERIC. As of August 2023, 26 states and the District of Columbia were members in the ERIC program.

As of August 2023, Washington was participating in the ERIC program.

Post-election auditing

Washington state law requires post-election audits. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, "County auditors choose (at a minimum) one of the following methods to audit duplicated ballots: 1) audit of DREs or ballot marking devices when at least 10 votes have been cast on all devices. Up to 4% of devices are selected by lot. 2) a random check 3) a risk-limiting audit whereby the scope and 'risk limit' (the largest statistical probability that an incorrectly reported tabulation outcome is not detected) are set by the secretary of state." The secretary of state is responsible for developing procedures for investigating any discrepancies. The audit must be completed before the certification of the election.

Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.

Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.

As of December 2023, 41 states and the District of Columbia required some form of post-election audit. Of these, 36 states and the District of Columbia required traditional post-election audits, three states required risk-limiting post-election audits, and two states required procedural post-election audits.

Election policy ballot measures

See also: Elections and campaigns on the ballot and List of Washington ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Washington.

1. Washington Initiative 872, Top-Two Primaries Measure (2004)
2. Washington HJR 4206, Office Vacancies Amendment (2003)
3. Washington SJR 143, Durational Residency Requirement Amendment (1974)
4. Washington Referendum 5, Party Conventions Measure (1916)
5. Washington Referendum 15, Changes to Party Conventions and Nomination Measure (1922)
6. Washington SJR 25, Notice of Amendments on Ballot Amendment (1962)
7. Washington SJR 9, Voter Pamphlet Mailing Requirement Amendment (1962)
8. Washington Referendum 39, Voter Registration by Mail Measure (1977)
9. Washington SJR 138, Legislative and County Vacancies Amendment (1986)
10. Washington Referendum 25, Electoral Campaign Financing Regulation Measure (1972)
11. Washington HJR 4, Voter Qualifications for Presidential Elections Amendment (1966)
12. Washington Initiative 394, Voter Approval for Energy Project Bonds Measure (1981)
13. Washington Initiative 276, Regulations for Campaign Expenditures and Contributions Measure (1972)
14. Washington Initiative 199, Legislative Reapportionment and Redistricting Measure (1956)
15. Washington Initiative 58, Permanent Registration of Voters Measure (1932)
16. Washington Referendum 35, Senate Vacancy Appointments Measure (1975)
17. Washington Referendum 32, Deputy Voting Registrar Appointments Measure (1973)
18. Washington HJR 6, Voting Age of 19 Amendment (1970)
19. Washington SJR 14, Filling State Legislature Vacancies Amendment (1956)
20. Washington Voter Residency Requirement Amendment, SJR 8205 (2011)
21. Washington SJR 6, Superior Court Judge Elections Amendment (1966)
22. Washington HJR 22, Voter Approval of Excess School Tax Levies Amendment (1985)
23. Washington Initiative 126, Non-Partisan Elections for School Superintendents Measure (1938)
24. Washington Amendment to Article XI Sec. 5, Classification of Counties by Population for County Official Elections (1924)
25. Washington Amendment to Article I Secs. 33-34, Recall Elections Amendment (1912)

Recent legislation related to election administration in Washington

The table below lists bills related to election administration that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Washington. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.

Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker

State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.

Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.

Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:

• Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments
• We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language
• And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan

The Ballot Bulletin

The Ballot Bulletin is a weekly email that delivers the latest updates on election policy. The Ballot Bulletin tracks developments in election policy around the country, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news. Each email contains in-depth data from our Election Administration Legislation Tracker. You'll also be able to track relevant legislation, with links to and summaries of the bills themselves.

Click here to view recent issues and subscribe.

Ballot access

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Washington

A cardboard ballot box at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

In order to get on the ballot in Washington, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Washington. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Washington." Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

Redistricting

See also: Redistricting in Washington

"Gerrymandering"

Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Each of Washington's 10 United States Representatives and 123 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. United States Senators are not elected by districts, but by the states at large. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. The federal government stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

Washington was apportioned 10 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Click here for more information about redistricting in Washington after the 2020 census.

HIGHLIGHTS

Following the 2020 United States Census, Washington was apportioned 10 congressional districts, which was unchanged from the number it had after the 2010 census.

Washington's state legislature is made up of 49 districts, each of which elects one senator and two representatives.

In Washington, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by a non-politician commission.

Election administration agencies

Election agencies

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Washington can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.

Washington County Elections Departments

Click here for a list

Washington Secretary of State, Elections Division

Office address: 520 Union Avenue SE

Olympia, Washington 98501

Mailing address: P.O. Box 40229

Olympia, Washington 98504-0229

Telephone: 360-902-4180

Toll free: 800-448-4881

Email: elections@sos.wa.gov

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

Telephone: 866-747-1471

Ballotpedia's election coverage

Click the tiles below to navigate to 2023 election coverage, or use the map below:

U.S. Congress special elections

Governors

Attorney general

Other state executives

State legislatures

State ballot measures

Local ballot measures

State judges

Local judges

Municipal government

School boards

Recall

Democratic primaries 2024

• United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2024
• United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2024
• Democratic Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
• Democratic Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
• Democratic Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
• State legislative Democratic primaries, 2024

Republican primaries 2024

• United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2024
• United States House Republican Party primaries, 2024
• Republican Party gubernatorial primaries, 2024
• Republican Party Secretary of State primaries, 2024
• Republican Party Attorney General primaries, 2024
• State legislative Republican primaries, 2024

See also

• 2024 election dates and deadlines
• Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Washington
• Redistricting in Washington

Elections in Washington

• Washington elections, 2022
• Washington elections, 2021
• Washington elections, 2020
• Washington elections, 2019
• Washington elections, 2018
• Washington elections, 2017
• Washington elections, 2016
• Washington elections, 2015
• Washington elections, 2014

External links

• Washington Secretary of State - Elections