Voting in Washington

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Voter ID laws
Absentee/mail-in voting
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Voting policies are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which American citizens cast their ballots in their individual states.

THE BASICS

Washington permits online voter registration.

Washington conducts its elections largely by mail.

See state election laws

This page includes the following:

• Voter registration details, including methods of registering and requirements
• Details on voting in elections, including identification requirements, poll times, and primary election type
• Absentee and early voting rules
• Convicted felons' voting rights
• Election administration costs report
• Election agencies list
• Election policy ballot measures list
• Election policy legislation list

See Election governance in Washington for more detailed information about election and voting policy in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.

Voter registration

To vote in Washington, one must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Washington, and at least 18 years of age.

One may register to vote online, by mail, or in-person at a county elections department. Registration must be completed eight days in advance if done by mail or online. In-person registration is available through Election Day.

In 2018, Washington lawmakers adopted legislation providing for same-day voter registration and automatic voter registration beginning in 2019.

Automatic registration

Washington automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles, health benefit exchange, and other state agencies approved by the governor.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Washington has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Washington allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Washington law requires 30 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Washington does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.

Verifying your registration

The site Vote WA, run by the Washington Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voting in elections

File:Barack Obama votes in the 2012 election.jpg

President Barack Obama and others casting their ballots in 2012

Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Washington requires voters to present photo identification while voting in person. However, most voters in Washington vote by mail.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of November 2019. Click here for the Washington State Legislature's voter ID regulations to ensure you have the most current information.

• Driver's license
• State identification card
• Student identification card
• Tribal identification card
• Employer identification card

Background

As of April 2021, 35 states enforced (or were scheduled to begin enforcing) voter identification requirements. A total of 21 states required voters to present photo identification at the polls; the remainder accepted other forms of identification. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In Washington, individuals who prefer to vote in person rather than by mail may do so at voting centers, which are open during business hours for 18 days prior to the election. The voting period ends at 8:00 p.m. on the day of the election. Contact your county elections department for more information on voting center locations and times.

Primary election type

See also: Primary elections in Washington

Washington uses a top-two primary system, in which all candidates appear on the same ballot, for congressional and state-level elections. The top two vote-getters move on to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation. In states that do not use a top-two system, all parties are usually able to put forward a candidate for the general election if they choose to.

Absentee and early voting

See also: Absentee voting and Early voting

Washington uses a vote-by-mail system. As such, there are no explicit absentee and early voting procedures.

Convicted felons' voting rights

See also: Voting rights for convicted felons

An individual convicted of a felony in a Washington state court has his or her voting rights "provisionally restored as long as the person is not under the authority of the department of corrections." Individuals under the authority of the department of corrections include those in prison and those on community custody, which state law defines as "that portion of an offender's sentence of confinement in lieu of earned release time or imposed as part of a sentence under this chapter and served in the community subject to controls placed on the offender's movement and activities by the department."

For individuals convicted of a felony "in a federal court or any state court other than a Washington state court, the right to vote is restored as long as the person is no longer incarcerated."

Voting rights for convicted felons vary from state to state. In the majority of states, convicted felons cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.

Election administration costs

National Conference of State Legislatures report, 2018

On February 14, 2018, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released a report on the costs of election administration in the states: "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections." The report's authors noted that "no one knows how much [states] spend on elections ... [because] good research on election costs is slim." Generally, local units of government (most often counties, but sometimes cities and towns) are primarily responsible for election administration costs, though states and the federal government may also contribute. The report identified the states listed in the table below as assuming financial responsibility for at least some aspects of election administration.

To access the complete NCSL report, click here.

Election administration costs assumed by state
State pays all expenses for federal or state elections	State bears a portion of election costs	State pays for statewide special elections or statewide elections that don’t coincide with regularly scheduled elections	State pays for primary elections (statewide, presidential, or both)
Alaska Delaware	Alabama Colorado Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Rhode Island	Arkansas Florida Iowa Michigan Missouri New Jersey North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Washington West Virginia	Arizona Arkansas Idaho Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington
Note: If a state is not listed above, it was not included in the report. Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018

Election agencies

File:US-ElectionAssistanceCommission-Seal.svg

Seal of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission

See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Washington can contact the following state and federal agencies.

Washington Secretary of State, Elections Division

P.O. Box 40229

Olympia, Washington 98504-0229

Telephone: 360-902-4180

Email: elections@sos.wa.gov

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

Telephone: 866-747-1471

Noteworthy events

2018

On March 19, 2018, Governor Jay Inslee (D) signed into law HB 2595, a bill providing for automatic voter registration in Washington when eligible voters obtain driver's licenses or state identification cards. HB 2595 cleared the Washington House of Representatives on March 7, 2018, by a vote of 50 to 48. The bill cleared the Washington State Senate on March 6, 2018, by a vote of 27 to 21, with one member excused.

Election policy ballot measures

See also: Elections and campaigns on the ballot and List of Washington ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in Washington.

1. Washington County Auditors Appointments, Referendum 32 (1973)
2. Washington County Classifications for County Elections, Amendment to Article XI Sec. 5 (1924)
3. Washington Durational Residency Requirement, SJR 143 (1974)
4. Washington Elections for Legislative Vacancies, SJR 138 (1986)
5. Washington Governor Vacancy Limitation, Referendum 35 (1975)
6. Washington Legislative Reapportionment and Redistricting Act, Initiative 199 (1956)
7. Washington Limit on Campaign Contributions, Initiative 134 (1992)
8. Washington Limits on Campaign Expenditures, Initiative 276 (1972)
9. Washington Non-Partisan Elections for School Superintendents, Initiative 126 (1938)
10. Washington Notice of Amendments on Ballot, SJR 25 (1962)
11. Washington Party Conventions, Referendum 15 (1922)
12. Washington Party Conventions, Referendum 5 (1916)
13. Washington Permanent Registration of Voters, Initiative 58 (1932)
14. Washington Qualification of Voters for Indebtedness, Amendment to Article VI Sec. 1 (1916)
15. Washington Regulating Campaign Financing, Referendum 25 (1972)
16. Washington State Legislative Redistricting, Initiative 57 (1930)
17. Washington Superior Court Judge Elections, SJR 6 (1966)
18. Washington Top Two Primaries, Initiative 872 (2004)
19. Washington Vacancies in Office, HJR 4206 (2003)
20. Washington Vacancies in State Legislature, SJR 14 (1956)
21. Washington Voter Approval for Energy Project Bonds, Initiative 394 (1981)
22. Washington Voter Approval of Excess School Tax Levies, HJR 22 (1985)
23. Washington Voter Qualifications for Presidential Elections, HJR 4 (1966)
24. Washington Voter Registration by Mail, Referendum 39 (1977)
25. Washington Voter Residency Requirement Amendment, SJR 8205 (2011)
26. Washington Voters' Pamphlet, SJR 9 (1962)
27. Washington Voting Age of 19, HJR 6 (1970)
28. Washington Withdrawal from National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Initiative (2022)

Election policy legislation

The following is a list of recent election bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Washington state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Washington voting. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Voting in Washington - Google News

See also

• Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Washington
• Redistricting in Washington

Elections in Washington

• Washington elections, 2022
• Washington elections, 2021
• Washington elections, 2020
• Washington elections, 2019
• Washington elections, 2018
• Washington elections, 2017
• Washington elections, 2016
• Washington elections, 2015
• Washington elections, 2014

External links

• Voter guide
• Election website
• Washington online voter registration program