Planning ahead to vote is a good idea — but ignore the other side of the USPS postcard

Ballots will be mailed to all Washington state voters in time for voting, which starts on October 16. Now’s a good time to double-check your registration and make your voting plan.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is sending everybody a postcard with the very good advice that you should plan ahead to vote by mail. Unfortunately, as Washington’s Secretary of State points out, the information on the back about applying for an absentee ballot is incorrect for people who live in Washington. Ballots will be mailed to all registered Washington voters by October 16 — and most counties mail ballots at least a few days earlier.

So ignore what the USPS postcard says on the back — and tell all your friends and relatives to ignore it as well. As a Colorado judge says, the information on the back is false and misleading. In Washington, the Secretary of State’s site has accurate information in their vote-by-mail FAQ. People in other states can check their own Secretary of State’s site; and sites like the League of Women Voters’ vote411.org or AARP’s page have accurate information for all 50 states.

Still, the part about planning ahead is very good advice.

The first thing to think about is whether you’re planning on voting by mail, dropping your ballot off at a dropbox, or in-person at a voting center starting in mid-October. County election sites have lists and sometimes even maps of dropbox locations and voting centers; the Secretary of State has a statewide list. Whichever way you vote, try to do it early — things are likely to get busier and busier the closer we get to election day.

Here’s the dates for Washington voters, from the Secretary of State’s site:

• October 16: Start of 18-day voting period (through Election Day). Dropboxes are open, andAccessible Voting Units (AVUs) are available at voting centers.
• October 26: Online and mail registrations must be received 8 days before Election Day.
• November 3: Deadline for Washington State voter registration or updates (in person only).
• November 3: General Election

If your ballot doesn’t arrive (or if you lose it), you can request a new one. In many counties, you can even print one out at home. So make a note on October 19 or 20 to check that you’re received your ballot — and print or request a new one if you haven’t.

And it’s best to double-check that your registration and address are correct before ballots are mailed out. Here’s a post with screenshots describing how to check your voter registration and address using VoteWA.gov, the statewide portal.

Image credit: USPS, via the Washington Secretary of State Facebook page.