Tag Archives: King County Elections Office

Inside the Ballot Processing Center and Its COVID Safeguards

by Ashley Archibald

(This article was originally published by Real Change and has been reprinted with permission.)


From the exterior, the King County Elections headquarters resembles a drab office building, gray and in an industrial part of Renton, across from a used car dealership.

On the inside, however, officials want the public to think of it as the Fort Knox of elections.

King County, like the rest of the U.S., is careening toward one of the most anticipated elections in modern history. By Nov. 3, the Electoral College will either reelect President Donald Trump or replace him with former Vice President Joe Biden.

With two weeks left to go and millions of votes already cast, the legitimacy of the election is already being called into question.

Continue reading Inside the Ballot Processing Center and Its COVID Safeguards

Despite Concern From Local Politicians, King County Elections Is Confident Ballots Will Be Counted

by Chetanya Robinson


While a plan from the Trump-appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to cut funding to the U.S. Postal Service and slow mail service has been put on hold until after the November election, local elected officials are still acting out of concern that ballots won’t be counted.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson is leading over a dozen states in a lawsuit alleging DeJoy’s changes could undermine the election, and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Seattle) supported legislation to beef up the Postal Service, calling the service delays an attack on healthcare, democracy, workers, and small businesses.

“When a person votes by mail or any other way, it’s a love letter to democracy,” said Gov. Jay Inslee during an August 18 press conference announcing Ferguson’s lawsuit. “Trump has said he’s going to rob the bank of democracy.”

Continue reading Despite Concern From Local Politicians, King County Elections Is Confident Ballots Will Be Counted

BREAKING: Two More SPD Officers Appear to Break Election Law by Using Non-Residential Address to Vote

by Carolyn Bick


The Emerald has discovered that two more Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers have registered non-residential addresses as their voting addresses, thereby apparently breaking voting laws. The discovery follows on the heels of the Emerald’s first article about six other SPD officers, including Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) President Michael Solan, registering SPD precincts as voting addresses.

Continue reading BREAKING: Two More SPD Officers Appear to Break Election Law by Using Non-Residential Address to Vote

Some SPD Officers Appear to Have Violated Election Law by Registering Precincts as Voting Addresses

by Carolyn Bick


A handful of Seattle Police Department (SPD) officers appear to have broken the law by registering to vote with their precinct addresses. Among them is Officer Michael Solan, President of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG).

Continue reading Some SPD Officers Appear to Have Violated Election Law by Registering Precincts as Voting Addresses

Study: Lack of Information, Language Barriers Keep Immigrants from Voting

by Bryan Nakata

A new survey by the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs shows that almost half of the immigrants surveyed in Seattle do not know how or where to register vote, a community that already votes at lower rates than U.S.-born residents.

Continue reading Study: Lack of Information, Language Barriers Keep Immigrants from Voting

News Gleams: Voter Registration Day and Washington CAN! Candidates Forum

collected by Emerald staff

King County Commemorates National Voter Registration Day

King County Elections Director Julie Wise wants residents to celebrate National Voter Registration Day in just the way you would expect: by registering to vote. She is calling on King County residents who have not yet registered to register online, by mail or in-person at the King County Elections office.

Continue reading News Gleams: Voter Registration Day and Washington CAN! Candidates Forum