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New data released on early voting in WA
The Secretary of State for Washington has released new data for early voting in Washington, and FOX 13 Seattle reporter Sam Campbell has the latest on what it shows.
WASHINGTON - With Election Day approaching, nearly 1.7 million Washington state voters have already cast their ballots. Early turnout is slightly outpacing the previous midterm election, according to data published Friday from the Washington Secretary of State's Office.
Voter Turnout and Demographics
By the numbers:
Out of the 5,165,860 registered voters in the state, 1,696,308 had returned their ballots by Friday. That accounts for a 32.84% return rate four days before the election, and it marks a slight increase from the 32.2% turnout recorded at the exact same point during run-up to the 2022 midterm.
Older residents are currently driving early voter participation. Voters aged 65 and older lead with a 58.1% return rate, while the 18-to-24 demographic has returned just 13.3% of their ballots so far.
The vast majority of early voters –70.42% - are utilizing official drop boxes, compared to 28.85% returning ballots by mail.
Ballot Challenges and Signatures
Dig deeper:
While election officials have accepted the vast majority of ballots, 10,695 have been challenged, marking just 0.63% of all returned ballots across the state.
The primary reasons for challenged ballots stem from signature verification issues. State data shows 6,122 ballots were flagged because the signature does not match the voter's registration record, while 2,731 ballots were left completely unsigned.
An additional 652 ballots are currently under review at the time of publication.
Registration and Deadlines
Local perspective:
With the election quickly approaching on Tuesday, the deadline to register to vote online or by mail has officially passed. Residents who still need to register must do so in person at a local election office.
Voters are strongly encouraged to use local drop boxes rather than the postal service to ensure their ballots arrive on time.
For voters like Louie, who dropped off his ballot at the Ballard Public Library on Sunday, early voting remains a civic priority.
"Every election has always been a sense of urgency for me to make a difference by voting and to keep my interests guarded by the vote," he said. "I'm glad to see there's a groundswell of voting being done."
To see more statistics on early voting in Washington state, visit the Secretary of State’s dashboard here.
The Source: Information for this story came from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle's Sam Campbell, who reviewed the data released by the Washington Secretary of State and spoke with voters who submitted ballots at drop boxes near the Ballard Public Library.
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