Spokane County expects high last-minute voter turnout for Election Day

SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — There is still time to cast your vote for the 2024 General Election, and Spokane voters have a few different voting options to choose from.

Washington is a vote-by-mail state, meaning you can send your ballot into the local elections office, as long as it is postmarked by Election Day, or drop it in a ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on November 5.

Spokane County officials are urging voters to utilize one of two voter service centers for any help they may need casting their vote.

The centers are located at EWU Catalyst Building at 601 E. Riverside Ave. in downtown Spokane and at CenterPlace Regional Event Center at 2426 N. Discover Pl. in Spokane Valley.

There, voters are able to register to vote, obtain a replacement ballot or have any other questions answered.

Some voters at the service centers said they felt more comfortable voting in person.

“I just want to make sure it doesn’t get lost in the mail and it gets counted as well as it can,” said voter Me’taire Kilpatrick-Boe.

Other voters said it felt easier to vote at the service centers.

“Just because they have the pamphlets and voter manual. So, it kind of helps you be able to read all the stuff if you’re not super familiar with everything beforehand,” said Maxine Rodriguez.

Another voter, Luke Cashman, said it helped avoid the last minute rush.

“It felt the same as filling out a ballot at home. But then, I can just do it in person, and then immediately drop it off instead o a last-minute rush of where is my ballot box or anything like that,” he said.

At the service centers, voters can expect to fill out a voter registration form, even if they are already registered, just to ensure their information is accurate and up-to-date.

After filling out the form, voters are provided with a ballot and a pamphlet in a quiet room where they can research as they fill out their ballot.

Then, voters can drop the ballot in a drop box right outside the voting room.

Elections officials are on-site to help voters with any questions they may have throughout the process.

A Spokane County official said they didn’t see as many voters over the weekend as they had hoped, so they expect a high last-minute turn out on Election Day.

“On Monday and Tuesday of Election Week, we expect to have almost 4,000 people walk in needing assistance,” said Vicky Dalton, Spokane County Auditor.

The Elections Office said to ensure your ballot is counted, come into the voter service centers as early as possible.

Election officials will begin counting and certifying ballots tomorrow, and unofficial results will start to be released shortly after 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

They will continue counting and certifying throughout the week.

Dalton said it is important to remember that candidates do not determine who wins the race, and that it may take some time, perhaps even days, to know the outcome of a particular race.