Washington Absentee Voter Guide

Military and overseas voters should check out the Overseas Vote Foundation.  Long Distance Voter's forms and deadlines should only be used by voters with US mailing addresses.

Mail-In Deadlines

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Washington you must:

• be a citizen of the United States
• be a legal resident of Washington State
• be 18 years old by election day
• not be presently denied your civil rights due to a felony conviction
• not be judicially declared mentally incompetent and ineligible to vote

How to register to vote:

• Recommended: Use our Voter Registration Widget.  Enter your information, print and sign the completed form, and mail it to the address printed on the form. 
• Recommended: If you have a Washington State driver's license, or a Washington State Identification card, you may register to vote online. 
• You can also download and complete Washington's Voter Registration Form.  Mail your completed forms to your County Auditor.

ID requirements for first-time voters:

You are required to include your Washington state driver's license or Washington state ID card number or the last four digits of your Social Security number on your voter registration form.  If you don't have any of these numbers, you must include a copy of your ID.  If you don't, you'll need to provide ID the first time you vote in person or by absentee ballot.  Acceptable ID includes a  valid photo ID such as a driver's license, state ID card, student ID card, or tribal ID card OR a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other current government document that shows your name and address

Voter registration verification:

You should receive written confirmation that your voter registration was processed in 2-3 weeks.  Don't panic if you never receive your voter registration card: you don't actually need it to vote.  If you not sure if your registration was processed - or if you simply can't remember if you're register to vote - you can use the voter registration verification tools here.

Absentee Voting

Good news!  Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot in Washington.

How to apply for an absentee ballot:

You may request an absentee ballot as early as 90 days before an election. (No absentee ballots are issued on election day except to voters who are residents of health care facilities).

There is no official absentee ballot application, but we've created one that meets all legal requirements.  Download, print, fill out, and sign our Washington absentee ballot application. 

Once you've filled out your absentee ballot application, send it (in person, by mail, by fax, or via email) to your

County Auditor

.  They will mail it to you once they confirm that you're registered. 

ID requirements for absentee voters:

You do not need to provide ID if you have already voted in Washington at least once.  If you are voting for the first time in Washington and you did not meet the ID requirements when your registered to vote (see above), include a copy of your ID with your absentee ballot application. 

All voting in Washington State, except for Pierce County, is done by mail. If you have provided adequate identification when you registered to vote (either in-person or via mail), you may vote absentee for the first time by mail. If you have not met the identification requirements, you will be notified by mail that you need to provide identification. If you do not have a driver’s license or a social security number, you will be given a list of alternate acceptable forms of acceptable identification.

There are no special provisions for first-time absentee voters in Pierce County, which is the only county in Washington State where there is in-person voting.

Absentee ballot instructions:

The ballot itself is pretty straightforward.  Complete it, seal it in the envelope, and sign where indicated.  Mail your ballot back to your County Auditor.  Election officials in Washington State continue to count valid absentee ballots returned after an election as long as they are either postmarked by Election Day (if mailed), or signed and dated by Election Day (if hand-delivered).   If the Auditor's Office receives a ballot after Election Day that was not post-marked on or before Election Day the votes on the ballot will not be counted. 

Additional Information