Washington Absentee Ballot

Washington absentee ballot deadlines

• Absentee ballot application deadlines: All Washington elections are held by mail. All registered Washington voters are mailed a ballot at least 18 days before Election Day.
• Voted ballots are due: Postmarked no later than Election Day or returned to a ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Washington absentee ballot rules

All Washington elections are held by mail. You may apply for an absentee ballot if you need your ballot mailed someplace other than your usual mailing address.

Washington absentee ballot directions

1. Use our Absentee Ballot Tool to prepare your application.
2. Sign and date the form. This is very important!
3. Return your completed application to your Local Election Office as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
4. All Local Election Offices will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Office will let you fax or email the application.
5. Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
6. Please contact your Local Election Office if you have any further questions about the exact process.

Once you receive your ballot...

1. Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
2. Sign and date where indicated.
3. Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
4. Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.

Offsite links

• State Election Website
• Local Election Office: This is the government office responsible for running elections in your region. Theses are the best people to contact if you have any questions at all about voting in your state.
• Find your polling place
• Absentee ballot tracker tool
• Learn more about absentee voting