Yakima Voter Turnout Remains Low as Ballots Are Due Next Week

A week from Tuesday your ballot is due in the Yakima County Auditor's Office...and a low 5.25% of the more 130,000 ballots sent to voters have been returned to the auditor's office for the November 4 general election.

IF YOU WAIT TO VOTE USE A DROP BOX

That means about 7100 ballots have been voted and returned so far this month. Election officials are urging everyone to vote the ballot and do it now instead of waiting until the last minute. Why? The U.S. Postal Service has changed the way it handles postmarks, and Washington State officials are warning voters that the new date on a postmark may not "reliably" reflect the date that the ballot was mailed meaning those who wait until the last minute could be disqualified.

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MODERNIZING IS THE PROBLEM

Work to modernize the post office has apparently lead to the problem.
Mail in Yakima and other areas in Central Washington is postmarked at a processing facility on the west side of the state which because of the distance which could be a day or two after you dropped it in the mailbox. If you must wait until the last minute or last day to vote...you can drop your ballot in a drop box instead of a mailbox and avoid any kind of action by the post office that could delay your ballot.

LET'S HOPE THERE'S A BIG TURNOUT

Could Yakima see another low turnout for the election like the primary election? The primary election in Yakima saw the lowest voter turnout in county history at 16.23%.
Ross says it's anyone's guess as to why people didn't participate in the election but typically he says it's the hot summer months and activities that distract people from opening the ballot. Ross says two other countywide elections saw low numbers as well. He says in 2009 the countywide turnout was 30%. In 2021 it was 21% but the most recent primary has set a new record low number of 16.23% turnout. Ross was hoping for a turnout of at least 25%.
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