In response to a two-hour-long line of people waiting to vote early at the Elections Office in Renton, election officials are urging poll voters to wait until Tuesday to vote their regular poll ballot if they are not going out of town.
Most voters waiting in line at the county elections office were poll voters worried by national headlines that poll-location lines will be long. Unlike other states like Florida where lines are up to six hours long, in King County the majority of voters choose to cast their ballot by mail. Of the 1,105,000 registered voters in King County, 64 percent vote by mail and will not visit a polling location on Tuesday.
“The vast majority of people standing in the rain are choosing to wait in line in part because they believe their assigned polling location will resemble what they are seeing on television in other parts of the country and I do not believe that will be the case in Washington state on Tuesday,” said Sherril Huff, Elections director.
More than 5,000 poll workers will open 392 polling places throughout King County at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4 to assist voters for 13 hours. King County has prepared for 100 percent turnout at the polls and has even overstaffed at the largest polling places with official greeters to direct voters upon their arrival.
Huff urges poll voters who are not leaving town to vote on Election Day at their assigned polling place.
“There is a ballot and poll worker waiting for you,” said Huff on Saturday in a press release. “Today and Monday, our goal is to assist anyone who will be out of town on Tuesday and needs an absentee ballot.”
Voters can prepare for Tuesday’s election by verifying the location of their assigned polling place. The assigned polling location for every poll voter is located on their voter registration card and can also be confirmed online at www.kingcounty.gov/elections or by calling the voter hotline at 206-296-VOTE Monday from 8:30 to 6 p.m.
King County Elections on Grady Way in Renton will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov.3.
