With the passing of legendary civil rights leader John Lewis, I have reflected on the civil unrest in our nation and find myself asking, “How can I help?” The man who dedicated his life to advancing human rights had very simple advice for all of us: VOTE. Up until the end of his 80 years, Lewis continued to fight against systemic racism and worked tirelessly to enact the Voting Rights Advancement Act to guarantee every American’s right to vote, a right that has been chipped away and denied to so many people of color since the inception of our country. Lewis said last year, “The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.”
When?
Here are the Washington State deadlines you need to be aware of regarding voter registration:
- July 27, 2020 – Online and mail-in registrations must be received for Primary Election. If you have not received this in the mail by July 27, 2020 it may indicate that you are not registered. Contact us and we will register you to vote at our Seattle office.
- August 4, 2020 – In-person voter registration deadline
- August 4, 2020 – Primary Election (ballots mailed to registered voters 7/17/2020[1]). Drop your completed ballot in an official ballot box by 8:00 p.m.
- October 16, 2020 – Ballots mailed out for General Election
- October 26, 2020 – Online and mail-in registrations must be received for General Election. If you missed getting registered for the Primary Election there is still time to get registered for the General Election. Contact us and we will help register you to vote at our Seattle office.
- November 3, 2020 – In-person voter registration deadline
- November 3, 2020 – General Election (ballots mailed to registered voters 10/16/2020). Drop your completed ballot in an official ballot box by 8:00 p.m.
Qualify to Vote?
To register to vote in Washington, you must be:
- A citizen of the United States;
- A legal resident of Washington State;
- At least 18 years old by Election Day;
- Not disqualified from voting due to a court order; and
- Not under Department of Corrections supervision for a Washington felony conviction.[2]
Where?
You can register to vote:
- Online. Go here: https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx. You will need a Washington ID, driver’s license, or permit. You can print out the form in multiple language options.
- Mail. You can print out the application in many different languages and complete and mail. https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/print-voter-registration-forms.aspx
- In person. Go to your county’s registration office to register in person. The County map is here: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/auditors/#.
- At our office. Adler Giersch is hosting a Voter Registration Drive at our Seattle office, located at 333 Taylor Ave N., Seattle, Washington. We have a free parking lot for those wishing to register in our office. We have PPE (personal protective equipment, including gloves, masks and hand sanitizer). We will provide the application, a safe clean space to complete the application, and we will mail it for you.
[1] If you are registered to vote and moved, but did not update the County Elections office, contact them here to get your ballot: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/auditors/
