November 5 general election ballots will be arriving on Whatcom County voters’ doorsteps any day as ballots were mailed on October 16.
Voters may cast their votes immediately upon receiving their ballots, though the official tabulation won’t start until October 18, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office. The auditor’s office asks people contact the office if their ballot is damaged or they don’t receive one by Wednesday, October 23.
Ballots may be returned to one of the 24 official drop boxes in Whatcom County by 8 p.m. Election Day, Tuesday, November 5. Ballots may also be returned by mail if postmarked by November 5.
In addition to helping with ballot replacements, the auditor’s office is available to help people register to vote and has an accessible voting unit for people needing visual or audio technology aids to vote.
Online, people must update their voting address or register to vote at votewa.gov by Monday, October 28. The auditor’s office also needs to receive voter registration forms, which are available on its website, by October 28. No stamp is needed to return ballots either by drop box or by mail.
After October 28, people can still update their address or register to vote, but they must do so at the auditor’s office before 8 p.m. Election Day.
The auditor’s office scheduled ballot logic and accuracy testing for October 11 and October 17. Ballots will begin being processed daily, including weekends, starting Friday, October 18.
The auditor’s office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays to assist voters, with additional hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, November 2 and from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Election Day. The auditor’s office is in the Whatcom County Courthouse building, 311 Grand Avenue in Bellingham.
Both Whatcom County and Washington state voters’ pamphlets with information about candidates and ballot measures were mailed to every home in the county this week. The Blaine school district also sent a flier about its bond measure.
For questions about the election, call the auditor’s office at 360/778-5102 or email elections@co.whatcom.wa.us.
Below is what will appear on ballots for most Blaine, Birch Bay and Custer voters:
Whatcom County voters will elect representatives to the 15-member Whatcom County Charter Review Commission, which reviews the county charter every decade. Three candidates will be selected in each council district and will serve for one year.
• State representative position 1 – Alicia Rule (D) and Raymond Pelletti (R)
• State representative position 2 – Joe Timmons (D) and Kamal Bhachu (R)
• Governor – Bob Ferguson (D) and Dave Reichert (R)
• Lieutenant governor – Denny Heck (D) and Dan Matthews (R)
• Secretary of state – Steve Hobbs (D) and Dale Whitaker (R)
• State treasurer – Mike Pellicciotti (D) and Sharon Hanek (R)
• State auditor – Pat McCarthy (D) and Matt Hawkins (R)
• Attorney general – Pete Serrano (R) and Nick Brown (D)
• Commissioner of public lands – Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) and Dave Upthegrove (D)
• Superintendent of public instruction – Chris Reykdal and David Olson
• Insurance commissioner – Patty Kuderer (D) and Phil Fortunato (R)
• Justice Position 2 – Sal Mungia and Dave Larson
• President and vice president – Kamala Harris/Tim Walz (D) and Donald Trump/JD Vance (R), plus eight more candidate pairs
• U.S. Senator – Maria Cantwell (D) and Dr. Raul Garcia (R)
• U.S. Representative – Rick Larsen (D) and Cody Hart (R)
• Proposition 2024-21 is a proposed $70 million, 20-year Blaine school district general obligations bond that would replace the current bond. The bond would pay for a new middle school to replace the current 70-year-old building, upgrade Pipeline Fields, build an outdoor covering at Blaine Elementary School, construct a playground at Point Roberts Primary School and fund designs for a Birch Bay school. The tax rate would be $0.76 per $1,000 in assessed property value, meaning owners of a $500,000 home would pay $388 in 2025.
• Proposition 2024-22 is a proposed amendment to the Whatcom County Charter that would prohibit elected county officials from holding other elected public office positions during their term.
• Initiative Measure No. 2066 is a statewide measure that would repeal or prohibit laws and regulations discouraging natural gas use and/or promote electrification. It would also require certain utilities and local governments to provide natural gas to eligible customers.
• Initiative Measure No. 2109 is a statewide measure that would repeal the state capital gains tax, which is imposed on the sale or exchange of long-term capital assets by people who have annual capital gains of over $250,000. The measure would decrease funding for K-12 education, higher education, school construction, early learning and childcare.
• Initiative Measure No. 2117 is a statewide measure that would prohibit state agencies from imposing carbon tax credit trading and repeal legislation establishing a cap-and-invest program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It would decrease funds for transportation, clean air, renewable energy, conservation and emissions reduction.
• Initiative Measure No. 2124 is a statewide measure that would make participation in the state’s long-term care program voluntary. It would decrease funding for the state’s public insurance program that provides long-term care benefits and services.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here