Holding on to our ballots

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Ashli Blow

Ashli Blow Feb 6, 2018

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Holding on to our ballots</h1>
                <h2><p>Despite contentious ballot measures and potential control of the Washington state Senate, only 20 percent of Washington’s 3.9 million registered voters have returned their ballots, reports seattlepi.com. This may be due in part to Washington not having a race for governor or U.S. Senate, which in</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/ashli-blow/">Ashli Blow</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Despite contentious ballot measures and potential control of the Washington state Senate, only 20 percent of Washington’s 3.9 million registered voters have returned their ballots, reports <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/10/30/a-late-breaking-election-just-20-percent-of-ballots-returned/?ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">seattlepi.com</a>. This may be due in part to Washington not having a race for governor or U.S. Senate, which in turn means we see fewer political ads. However, low early-voter turnout is not entirely uncommon in Washington: Voters merely need to postmark their ballots by Nov. 4. In most other states that vote by mail, ballots must arrive by election day. This has created a trend in Washington of late voter turnout.</p><p>While Republicans tended to enjoy a late lift from absentee ballots in the '90s, the late voter turnout has more recently favored the left. As writer Joel Connelly notes, socialist Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant last year and Democratic Representative Rick Larsen in 2010 both trailed on election night, and Sen. Patty Murray was at risk in 2010. All three eventually won. — D.K.</p>
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Despite contentious ballot measures and potential control of the Washington state Senate, only 20 percent of Washington’s 3.9 million registered voters have returned their ballots, reports seattlepi.com. This may be due in part to Washington not having a race for governor or U.S. Senate, which in turn means we see fewer political ads. However, low early-voter turnout is not entirely uncommon in Washington: Voters merely need to postmark their ballots by Nov. 4. In most other states that vote by mail, ballots must arrive by election day. This has created a trend in Washington of late voter turnout.

While Republicans tended to enjoy a late lift from absentee ballots in the '90s, the late voter turnout has more recently favored the left. As writer Joel Connelly notes, socialist Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant last year and Democratic Representative Rick Larsen in 2010 both trailed on election night, and Sen. Patty Murray was at risk in 2010. All three eventually won. — D.K.

By Ashli Blow

Ashli Blow is a Seattle-based freelance writer who talks with people — in places from urban watersheds to remote wildernesses — about the environment around them. She’s been working in journal