EPHRATA — With just days remaining before Washington's Aug. 4 primary election deadline, Grant County election officials are encouraging voters to return their ballots as soon as possible to ensure they are counted. 

Ballots must be postmarked by Aug. 4 or deposited in an official ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day, according to Grant County Elections Deputy Rebecca Pettingill.  

"The deadline is Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. for them to be either postmarked or in a ballot drop box," Pettingill said. "We don't necessarily have to have them in our hands by that point. They just need to be in one of our locked boxes or in the hands of the USPS mail service." 

This year's primary ballot includes several competitive local contests. Three candidates are seeking the Grant County auditor position, three candidates are running for sheriff, and four candidates are competing for the District 3 county commissioner seat. Voters also will select candidates for Grant County Superior Court Judge Position 3 and a variety of federal and state legislative offices. The Aug. 4 primary will determine which candidates advance to the November general election. 

Voters who choose to return their ballot by mail should not wait until the last minute, Pettingill said. While ballots are accepted if they receive a postmark dated Aug. 4, there is no guarantee a ballot placed in a mailbox that day will be processed and postmarked before the deadline. 

"As soon as possible, is what is necessary," she said. "I can't say if they put it in their box on the fourth, that it would necessarily be picked up that same day or postmarked that same day." 

Pettingill said voters concerned about receiving a timely postmark can take their ballot directly to a post office counter and request it be hand-canceled, ensuring it receives an Aug. 4 postmark. Another option is to use one of the county's official ballot drop boxes. 

"If they have any concerns that putting it in their box is not going to get postmarked in time, go in and hand cancel it by the post office right then and there, or put it in the drop box instead," she said. 

Ballots that receive a postmark after Election Day cannot be counted. 

"Unfortunately, there's nothing else we can do if it's postmarked Aug. 5," Pettingill said. "That is what we have to go off of. We have no way to verify that it was actually received in the mail on Aug. 4 without that postmark indicating it." 

Grant County has 14 drive-up ballot drop boxes located throughout the county, including one at the courthouse. An additional drop box is available inside the elections office. 

Pettingill said drop boxes offer voters one of the most secure methods of returning their ballot. 

"When they drop them in a drop box, that is one of the few places where we don't have a middleman," she said. "It's only election staff picking up the ballots from those boxes that are locked. It's kind of the one way that if you stick it in a box, there's almost no way for it to get lost." 

Election officials are also reminding voters to sign the ballot return envelope before submitting it. Missing or mismatched signatures can delay the counting process and require voters to correct, or "cure," their ballot. 

"We've had a handful that either do not sign or try to sign differently than they have in the past," Pettingill said. "That just kind of is what creates hiccups in accepting ballots." 

Voters whose signatures are challenged have until Aug. 18, when election results are certified, to resolve the issue. 

For voters who have not received their ballot or have misplaced it, Pettingill said replacement ballots are still available. 

"They can come in or call and let us know that they did not receive or lost their ballot, and we can give them a reissued ballot in person," she said.  

Voters may also visit VoteWA.gov to print a replacement ballot. 

As of July 30, the Washington Secretary of State reported that 6,075 of Grant County's 53,068 registered voters had returned ballots, a turnout rate of 11.45 percent. Of those ballots returned, 5,981 had been accepted, and 94 had been challenged. 

In neighboring Adams County, 1,110 of 8,794 registered voters had returned ballots, representing a 12.62% turnout rate. Of those ballots, 1,094 had been accepted, and 16 had been challenged. 

Pettingill said returning ballots early helps election staff process and tabulate votes before election night and provides more complete results when initial totals are released. 

"The sooner they turn them in, the quicker we have a chance to process them," she said. "While we have a significant number tabulated the night of Aug. 4, that doesn't necessarily mean that's every single ballot. The more people that vote early, the closer the election night results are to the certified results."