Too young to vote? Mock election has you covered

Washington students can once again participate in the upcoming election.

The annual Washington Student Mock Election is an educational event that teaches the under-18 crowd about the importance of voting by giving them a chance to weigh in.

The 2018 mock ballot includes six races from the Nov. 6 election — four ballot initiatives, one advisory vote and the contest for U.S. Senator between incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell and Republican challenger Susan Hutchison.

The mock ballot and a special version for younger children are available for downloading and printing at Vote.wa.gov/MockElection.

Participants can order “I Voted” stickers, a printer friendly Voters’ Pamphlet and a guide to help teachers.

The mock election is free and open to all K-12 students in Washington through Election Day.

For grown-up voters, ballots were mailed last week. They must be postmarked or returned by Nov. 6 to count. The deadline to register online has passed, but voters may register in person at their local auditor’s office through Monday, Oct. 29.

The Franklin County Auditor is in the courthouse rotunda, 1016 N. Fourth Ave. The Benton County Auditor has offices at the Prosser Courthouse, 620 Market St., the Richland annex, 101 Wellsian Way, and the Kennewick annex, 5600 W. Canal Drive.