Mayfield: One simple trick to ensure your vote actually counts
Jul 19, 2024, 6:05 AM
King County Elections workers empty the ballot drop box at the Seattle Public Library - Ballard branch on November 3, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo: Karen Ducey, Getty Images)
(Photo: Karen Ducey, Getty Images)
There’s a lot of talk about election integrity and ballot security. Frankly, a lot of it is partisan nonsense meant to keep many eligible people from voting. Elections in our state are professionally run and fairly adjudicated. Lawmakers from both parties have run our elections at both the state and county levels and to a person they have the data to prove why our system works so well.
That said, we should all care deeply about our ballot being counted. And there is one surefire way to actually do that … check yourself!
Your county and the state of Washington both allow and encourage you to follow the progress of your ballot from the moment it is mailed to you to the end result of when it is tabulated and added to the final vote count.
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You can start at votewa.gov. If you need to register to vote, you can still do that. But if you are already registered, all you need to do is log in with your information and see exactly where your ballot is. At this point, it will likely say your ballot is in the mail. Over the next two weeks, that status will change as your ballot arrives, as you vote and as you return it to be counted.
That’s easy enough, but there is actually an even easier way to track your vote — sign up for text alerts! Simply grab your phone and text the word VOTE to 868392. After a few simple prompts, you will start getting messages right to your phone telling you where your ballot is and any action you need to take.
I signed up during a previous election and I already got my first alert for this election. The text alert read, “BALLOT ALERT: Your ballot has been mailed. If you do not receive your ballot within five days, call King County Elections at (206)-296-8683. Happy voting!”
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Looking back up the text thread from the last election this spring, I can see when my previous ballot was mailed, when it was returned and when my signature was verified so my vote was counted.
If you prefer, you can also visit your local county’s website for more information on text alerts or online tracking.
I cannot recommend this enough! It’s simple. It’s practical and it is actually a meaningful election integrity effort that you can take now. So text VOTE to 868392 and happy voting.
Travis Mayfield is a Seattle-based media personality and a fill-in host on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here.
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