Washington Ballots: 705,231 Returned as Federal Pressure Mounts
Most voters bypassed the U.S. Postal Service, using drop boxes to avoid postmark issues while federal officials issued subpoenas and threatened prosecution.
By Thiago Kovalenko ·
705,231 Washington state voters returned ballots by Friday afternoon, representing 13.7% of the state's 5.15 million registered voters. This figure slightly trails the 13.9% participation rate recorded at the same stage of the election four years ago.
State Secretary of State Steve Hobbs reported that 66.4% of these ballots arrived via drop boxes. He said this preference stems from warnings issued since August regarding the U.S. Postal Service. Officials noted that reduced service and distant processing centers often result in ballots not being postmarked on the day of receipt.
Hobbs advised voters who mail in ballots to do so at least a week before Election Day. He further suggested that voters send their ballots next week and request that a post office clerk apply the postmark on the spot. In the August primary, more than 20,000 ballots were rejected due to late postmarks, a problem that was more severe in rural counties than in the 2024 primary.
Jefferson County in western Washington returned the highest percentage of ballots, with 32.8% already in hand. San Juan, Asotin, Thurston, Lincoln, and Skagit counties also exceeded 20% return rates. By total volume, King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties accounted for 47% of all returned ballots.
Hobbs said he does not expect final turnout to exceed the 64.6% mark from 2022, noting that voters often engage less without a competitive high-profile statewide contest like a U.S. Senate race. "I hope it's higher," Hobbs said, but he acknowledged that the current cycle lacks such a draw.
The state election office faces continued friction from the federal government. Hobbs said election officers are dealing with challenges and threats as the federal government seeks to exert more authority. The U.S. Department of Justice threatened Washington election officials with criminal prosecution if they fail to prevent noncitizens from voting. Federal authorities have also issued more than 60 subpoenas for individual voter records.
Hobbs stated that the office is reviewing these subpoenas to ensure responses comply with state and federal laws. "We take our responsibility to protect voter information seriously and will only respond to requests that follow due process," he said. The Trump administration recently informed King County leaders that federal monitors would be sent, though their specific role remains unclear. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown filed a legal brief opposing the federal demand to prevent the counting of ballots allegedly cast by noncitizens, a move also seen in California.
