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OLYMPIA – Registered voters in Washington state will soon receive their ballots for the General Election, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Ballots must be sent to registered voters no later than Friday, Oct. 16.

Voters have until 8 p.m. Nov. 3 to place their marked ballots in one of over 500 drop boxes statewide. Drop-box locations can be found at VoteWA.gov, Washington’s online voter portal.

People who choose to return their ballots by U.S. mail can use the provided postage-paid envelope. The U.S. Postal Service recommends that ballots should be returned by mail at least one week before Election Day. Registered voters can track their ballots at VoteWA.gov.

Any registered voter who does not receive a ballot within a week should log in to VoteWA.gov or contact a county elections office to request a replacement. Voters can also check their ballot status at VoteWA.gov.

“The General Election is here – time for Washingtonians to exercise their right to vote and make their voices heard,” said Lori Augino, elections director, Office of the Secretary of State. “We encourage the more than 4.7 million registered voters in Washington to start checking their mailboxes and get ready to mark their ballots. For people who want to vote but haven’t registered, there’s still time to sign up and take part in the General Election.”

People who want to register to vote, or update their registration, can go online at VoteWA.gov, or print and mail a registration form (available in 23 languages) at the Secretary of State’s Elections page. The deadline for county elections offices to receive registrations online or by mail, however, is Monday, Oct. 26. After Oct. 26, people can visit a county elections office and register in person.

More election information, including important dates and deadlines, an online voter guide, and elections data and statistics, is available at sos.wa.gov.

Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.