Tri-Cities voters already outpacing state balloting in this record election year

More than 23% of the voters in Benton County and 17% in Franklin County already have returned their ballots.

“We are very pleased with the rate of return in the first few days,” said Benton County Auditor Brenda Chilton.

In all, over 35,000 ballots have been cast in the two counties.

Benton County elections officials had received almost 28,000 ballots by Tuesday, according to its website.

And Franklin County voters had turned in 7,100 ballots.

For Franklin County, that was more than six times the percentage returned by this point four years ago.

Chilton said it felt like a better turnout than previous years, but she hadn’t compared the numbers yet.

It’s still too early to tell whether this rush will mean an overall high voter turnout for the 2020 general election.

Voter signatures on the ballot envelopes still need to be confirmed, and election staffers still need to check if ballots have been properly filled out, she said.

Election officials were predicting record turnout this November because of the highly contested races for president and governor. The August primary saw the largest turnout in Benton and Franklin counties in a decade.

And it’s normal for voters to cast more ballots during presidential election years than in other elections.

Benton County voter turnout was 79 percent and Franklin was 74 percent in 2016.

The two counties averaged about 50 percent turnout during general elections in the past 10 years.

Benton and Franklin counties are not alone in seeing an increased turnout. Election workers in Seattle have been making multiple trips to drop boxes to pick up ballots because the boxes are overflowing, according to the Seattle Times.

Voters statewide also are returning their ballots much earlier. Nearly 18% of Washington state’s more than 4.8 million voters have voted.

That compares to just over 6% by this point four years ago.

Secretary of State Kim Wyman has said counties should be prepared for a possible turnout of up to 90%.

Ballot drop boxes

Voters are favoring drop boxes in Benton County with nearly 16,000 votes being cast that way compared to 5,300 arriving by mail during the first few days.

The mail delivery may be delayed, Chilton said, so it may be a few more days before they know for certain if that balance changes.

Some voters also are taking advantage of Benton County’s voting center to vote in person.

The new center is open at 2610 N. Columbia Center Boulevard (the former home of Chuck E. Cheese), where voters can register to vote up to and on Election Day and can get their questions answered.

“We have multiple voting booths set up here, so voters can bring their mail ballot, use a booth and drop it in our indoor ballot box,” Chilton said. “Or, if they are not yet registered or haven’t received their ballot, we can issue them a ballot on demand.”

The auditor’s office also teamed up with 3 Rivers Convention Center to hold a voter registration drive all this week and on Monday. Show up between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the center at 7016 W. Grandridge Blvd.

After Monday, voters will need to go to the Columbia Center Boulevard location to register.

This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 2:59 PM.