• Official State Website
• Secretary of State Website
• Absentee Voting Rules Webpage

Who can vote?

To register to vote in the state of Washington, you must be:

• A citizen of the United States
• A legal resident of Washington State
• At least 18 years old by election day

You may not register to vote if you are:

• Presently denied your civil rights due to a felony conviction.
• Judicially declared mentally incompetent and ineligible to vote.

How do you register to vote?
You must complete a voter registration form if you are registering for the first time in Washington or if you have moved to a new county. If you have moved within the same county, you may transfer your registration by completing a new form or contacting your County Auditor by mail, email, or phone. There is no registration by political party in Washington state. For more information about Voter Registration Rights and Responsibilities.

If you have ever registered to vote in Washington State, please check your voter status by accessing MyVote. Your previous voter registration may still be active, even if you haven’t voted recently.
You may update your address using MyVote if you have moved to a new residence within the same county. If you have moved to a different county, your address must be updated using the Online Voter Registration website, or by downloading the form from this webpage. For more information check the Online Voter Registration FAQs.

How do you vote?
You can vote by mail. 37 of Washington's 39 counties vote by mail. King and Pierce Counties still maintain poll sites, but King County plans to switch to vote by mail elections in 2008. Many Washington State voters had already requested to receive permanent absentee ballots at each election rather than go to an assigned polling place to vote on Election Day. In many counties, because of the low turnout at the polls on Election Day, it is not cost effective to continue to conduct poll site elections. Many voters enjoy the extra time to review the ballot before casting a vote that comes with voting by mail.

As a registered voter, what do I have to do to vote by mail?
If you live in a county that conducts all elections by mail you will automatically receive a ballot. You will need to keep your residence and mailing addresses current with your County Auditor to ensure your ballot is mailed to the correct location.

If you live in a county that offers both absentee ballot voting and poll site voting, you'll need to request an absentee ballot from your County Auditor. You may choose to request an absentee ballot for a single election or to receive absentee ballots permanently.

When are the ballots mailed to the voters?
Washington State law requires ballots be mailed to voters at least 18 days prior to an election.

Acceptable ID at the Polls

Voters voting at the polls must provide identification before signing the poll book. Acceptable forms of ID include:

• Photo ID, such as a driver's license, state ID card, student ID card, or tribal ID card
• Voter registration card
• Utility Bill
• Bank statement
• Paycheck
• Government check
• Other government document

A voter who does not have ID may vote a provisional ballot.

Where to vote?
The polls are open on election day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Deadlines

• Deadline to register to vote in November 2008 election: October 20th, 2008
• Deadline to register for absentee ballot in November 2008 election: November 3rd, 2008

Voting Equipment
A demonstration of how to cast a ballot.