SEATTLE — KING 5 has been collecting voters' questions ahead of Washington state's 2022 general election on Nov. 8.
After consulting with election officials, we'll be compiling answers to the most frequent questions leading up to election day.
How to replace your ballot
If a ballot was damaged or never arrived, voters have a few options.
The first is the ability to print a new ballot from VoteWa.gov.
According to Kendall Hodson, chief of staff with King County Elections, voters can fill out a newly printed ballot like they would normally and mail it or put it in a drop box.
Voters can also go to their local auditor's office and receive a replacement ballot.
Kyle Haugh, Pierce County's elections manager, says it may be possible to mail a new ballot, but only if there's enough time for it to arrive before election day.
Every ballot has an identification code. Ballots that are replaced become deactivated.
How does the election office verify that my ballot is authenticated to me?
Signatures on ballots are checked by county employees who are trained by the Secretary of State's Office.
Workers checking signatures are making sure what is signed on the ballot return envelope matches what is on file - likely from the Department of Licensing or a voter registration form. They also make sure someone didn't forget to sign the ballot.
Voters can can resolve signature issues up until the day before certification. In the case of this general election, up through 4:30 p.m. on November 28.
How long does it take for my ballot to be processed?
It takes about a day or two for a ballot to be processed.
According to Hodson, it first gets scanned in as being received. The system it told to then not allow any more ballots from that voter.
A received ballot then goes through the signature verification process.
Finally, the ballot is opened and an elections worker ensures it will be read properly by their machines. The ballot is scanned and the results are stored until election night.
Results are counted on election night.
Do I need a permanent address to receive a ballot?
Though Washington state relies on a mail-in ballot system, voters do not need a traditional mailbox, or a permanent address, to receive ballots.
A state law passed in 2005 allows voters to use a general location as their address - a friend's home, shelter, post office or voter registration offices, for example.
Will my ballot be counted?
There's are simple ways to check the status of your ballot.
Voters can track them online, either by visiting VoteWA.gov or their county's election website. Enter in some basic information and you will be told at what point in the process your ballot is at.
In King County, a new program provides ballot alerts. Voters can now get a text message or email telling them the status of their ballot.
When are elections officials required to look into tampering of ballot deliveries?
Elections officials say they meet with members of the U.S. Postal Service every morning to report and resolve any problems.
Pierce County Elections Manager Kyle Haugh said there is a team dedicated to elections working through issues to determine why voters aren't receiving ballots.