OLYMPIA, Wash. — Fewer voters have returned their ballots for this election than they had at this point in the 2020 general election, according to numbers from the Washington Secretary of State's Office.
Four days before the election in 2020, 64.9% of voters had returned their ballots. As of last Friday, only 47.2% have returned in early voting.
Though the lag is significant, the COVID-19 pandemic caused more people to vote early in 2020 than they would during a typical general election year, according to the Secretary of State's database.
Nationally, 66,443,034 people have either voted early in person or returned their mail-in ballots, as of last Friday, representing around a third of registered voters across the U.S. This is more on par with 2012 and 2016 numbers, where 36% of all votes were submitted early, according to data from NBC News.
Three of the most populated counties in western Washington are seeing similar numbers. Forty-seven percent have voted in King County. Just 42% of registered voters have returned ballots in Pierce County, and 45% have returned in Snohomish County.
Jefferson County on the Olympic Peninsula has the highest turnout of any county in the state so far. Seventy percent of people 65 and older have voted. Historically, older voters have a higher turnout.
Data shows a stark contrast to the youngest age range of voters - just 26% of voters 18-24 have voted as of Friday.
The first results will be posted at 8 p.m. on election night, representing the ballots that were turned in early. Ballots received on Election Day will factor into the vote totals in the days following.