Update: Nearly 900 Tri-Cities ballots already don’t count. How to check yours
Nearly 59,000 Tri-Citians mailed and dropped off their ballots within a week of receiving them, according to election officials in Benton and Franklin counties.
And already nearly 900 ballots have been set aside and not counted because of problems.
About 625 ballots were rejected in Benton County so far, and 265 in Franklin County, mostly because the voter signatures don’t match county records, according to votewashington.info.
Voters can still contact election workers in the county auditor offices to verify their signatures and make their vote count.
To see if your ballot has been received and is in good standing, enter your name at voter.votewa.gov.
In Benton County, the turnout rate was 37% on Friday with just over 46,200 ballots returned.
The county ranked 20th out of 39 counties in the state for returns.
In Franklin County, nearly 12,600 ballots had been received as of Friday for a 30.8% rate of return.
The county is ranked 31st in the state for turnout.
Ferry County ranked the highest with nearly 58% turnout and Jefferson County was second at almost 56%.
Neighboring Eastern Washington county rankings include: Adams, 37.9%, Yakima 34.4%, Grant, 30.5% and Walla Walla 33.5%.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, the overall state turnout average is 38% so far but the state’s figures are trailing a day or so behind local auditors’ numbers.
The ballots are coming in much faster than 2016 across the state. Nearly 10 percent of the ballots had been returned in the state by this time in the last presidential election.
It’s still not too late to register to vote in Washington state. You can register online at www.votewa.gov or by mail until Monday, Oct. 26 or in person up to and on Election Day, Nov 3.
Franklin County
Franklin County Election Department staff plans a curbside registration effort on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Courthouse near the ballot drop box, 1016 N. 4th Ave., Pasco.
Benton County
Benton County auditor’s office teamed up with 3 Rivers Convention Center to hold a voter registration drive all this week and on Monday, Oct. 26. 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 county’s new voter center at 2610 N. Columbia Center Boulevard (the former home of Chuck E. Cheese), to register, get a replacement ballot or get other questions answered.
This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 12:49 PM.