EPHRATA — More than 52,000 ballots are now in the hands of Grant County voters, and election officials are encouraging residents not to wait until Election Day to return them.

According to Grant County Elections Coordinator Rebecca Pettingill, 52,922 ballots were mailed to voters on Oct. 14 for the Nov. 3 general election. As of Wednesday afternoon, elections staff had already signature-verified nearly 600 returned ballots and had several hundred more awaiting processing.

"We're really excited that we're seeing so much so early," Pettingill said. "The sooner they put them in the drop box, the better."

Pettingill said voters who have not yet received their ballot should contact the Elections Office as soon as possible.

"If they don't see them by today or by the end of the week, depending on where they live, they should call us or come into our office, and we can issue them a replacement ballot," she said.

To contact the Grant County Elections office call 509-754-2011 at extension 2704.

Replacement ballots can be mailed, picked up in person or retrieved by an authorized representative. Voters seeking a replacement will be asked a series of questions to verify their identity before a new ballot is issued.

Pettingill said voters should not panic if a ballot is lost, damaged or accidentally destroyed.

"Again, contacting us, we'll ask them some confirmation questions to ensure that we have the right voter, and then we will issue the replacement," she said.

Some mistakes can be corrected without obtaining a new ballot. If a voter accidentally marks the wrong candidate, they can simply draw a line through the incorrect selection and fill in the oval next to their desired choice.

However, significant damage may require a replacement ballot.

"If it's ripped up in a way that the reader can't read it or we can't read all of their markings, then it'll be really hard to count their vote," Pettingill said.

One of the most frequent problems election workers encounter has nothing to do with the ballot itself.

"Forgetting to sign, or signing in a way that's different than what they would usually sign official documents with," Pettingill said.

Most voters' signatures on file come from the Department of Licensing. Pettingill recommends voters sign their ballot envelope the same way they sign documents such as their driver's license.

Another common mistake is voting for too many candidates in the same race.

Voters should carefully review their selections and make sure they choose only the allowed number of candidates in each contest. Marking more candidates than allowed creates an "overvote," meaning that particular race cannot be counted.

Pettingill said voters do not have to vote in every race on the ballot.

"If they choose not to vote in a specific measure, that is fine," she said. "It's not an all-or-nothing deal."

While election results are not released until Election Day, elections staff can begin processing returned ballots ahead of time.

Pettingill said early returns allow staff to verify signatures, process envelopes and prepare ballots for counting, helping ensure more complete unofficial results on election night.

"The sooner we get the ballots, the sooner we can process them," she said.

Voters can return ballots through the mail, at any official Grant County ballot drop box or directly to the Elections Office in Ephrata.

Ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than Election Day. Pettingill recommends that voters mailing ballots on Nov. 3 bring them directly into a post office and request that they be hand-cancelled to ensure the correct postmark date.

Voters who want to make sure their ballot has been received can track it online at VoteWA.gov.

After entering their name and date of birth, voters can view the status of their ballot.

Pettingill cautioned that a ballot may not immediately appear as accepted after being deposited in a drop box.

"Just because they turned it in doesn't mean it's going to say accepted on there just yet," she said.

A ballot receives an accepted status only after elections staff have physically received and processed it through signature verification.

If a signature does not match the signature on file, election officials will attempt to contact the voter through multiple methods, including letters, phone calls, emails and text messages.

Voters can typically resolve the issue by confirming identifying information or submitting the appropriate signature verification paperwork before certification deadlines.

As Election Day approaches, Pettingill said the most important thing residents can do is participate.

"If you don't vote, your voice can't be heard," she said. "So make your voice heard and please vote."

      

    Election day is 13 days away as of Thursday. Grant County Elections Coordinator Rebecca Pettingill asks voters to return their ballots as soon as possible, as early returns allow for staff to verify signatures, process envelopes and prepare ballots for counting. This helps to have more completed unofficial results on election night, she said.