More Than One in Three Thurston County Ballots Are In, Slightly Ahead of 2022's Pace

More than one in three Thurston County voters had returned a ballot for the Nov. 3 general election as of Thursday, Oct. 29, slightly ahead of the pace set in the last two midterm elections, according to the Thurston County Auditor's Office.

The office had received 76,531 ballots from the county's 214,537 active voters, or 35.67%, according to its ballot return report dated Oct. 29. Of those, 70,852 had been accepted and 344 were challenged, the report shows.

The auditor's historic comparison, updated Oct. 29, puts this year's count five days before Election Day at 35.67% of voters. At the same point in 2022, returns stood at 34.46%. They were 33.42% in 2018 and 21.00% in 2014.

Most ballots still arrive late. In 2022, Election Day alone brought in 34,466 ballots, according to the same comparison, and returns kept climbing for days afterward as mailed ballots were counted.

Ballots must be in a drop box by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, or postmarked by that day if mailed. No stamp is needed. The county has 31 drop boxes open 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. on Election Night.

Two of them are in the North County area served by South Bay Fire District 8: Station 81, 3506 Shincke Rd. NE, and Station 83, 5046 Boston Harbor Rd. NE, according to the auditor's drop box list.

Voters who haven't received a ballot can call the Elections Division at 360-786-5408 or get a replacement in person at a voting center, the auditor's office says.