“Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black,
examines the issues, the candidates, and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election.
Primary Election Key Dates
July 19th
Start of 18-day Voting Period
July 29th
Online and Mail Registrations Deadline
August 6th
• Deadline for Washington State Voter Registration or Updates (In Person Only)
• Primary Election Date - Deposit your ballot in an official drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
General Election Key Dates
October 18th
Start of 18-day Voting Period
October 28th
Online and Mail Registrations Deadline
November 5th
• Deadline for Washington State Voter Registration or Updates (In Person Only)
• General Election Date - Deposit your ballot in an official drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Elections 2024: What You Should Know (Local)
Black Vote, Black Power
National Election Articles
Voter Resources
Future Voters
If you are 16 or 17 years old, you can sign up as a Future Voter and be automatically registered to vote when you turn 18. You may vote in a primary election if you will be 18 by the general election.
Election Protection
Made up of more than 300 national, state and local partners, the national, non-partisan Election Protection coalition works year-round to ensure all voters have an equal opportunity to vote and have that vote count. Election Protection provides Americans from coast to coast with comprehensive information and assistance at all stages of voting – from registration, to absentee and early voting, to casting a vote at the polls, to overcoming obstacles to their participation.
If you experience a problem at the polls or have any questions about voting, contact Election Protection. They can be reached in a number of ways, including:
Calling their suite of voter helplines:
(866) OUR-VOTE
(888) VE-Y-VOTA (Spanish/English)
(844) YALLA-US (Arabic/English)
(888) API-VOTE (English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi and Bengali)
Texting MYVOTE to (866) 687-8683 to get voting help from a trained volunteer
Starting a conversation with them on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @866ourvote, and on WhatsApp (http://wa.me/18666878683)
Chatting with them live on the election protection website.
Click here to go to the election protection website
Source: Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
How to register to vote
Register to vote
Find out how to register to vote online, by mail, or in person.
You can register to vote online or by mail until 8 days before an election. Registrations done by mail need to be received, not postmarked, by the 8-day deadline.
You can register in-person through election day.
Online
You can register online, 24 hours a day, at the Washington Secretary of State’s website. You will need to register online at least 8 days in advance of the next election.
To register online, you will need either:
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- A current Washington State driver license, or
- A current Washington State ID card
If you do not have either of these, you can still register by mail or in-person.
Additional Information for King County voters
CONTACT KING COUNTY ELECTIONS
Email: elections@kingcounty.gov
Phone: 206-296-VOTE (8683) TTY: Relay 711
Address:
919 Southwest Grady Way,
Renton, Washington 98057
Register To Vote By Mail In King County
Download and print a voter registration form from the Secretary of State. Forms are available in many languages. We need to receive the registration at least 8 days in advance of the next election so plan to mail in early.
Mail your completed form to:
King County Elections
919 SW Grady Way, Suite 100
Renton, WA 98057
Register To Vote In-person
You can register to vote in-person at the King County Elections Office in Renton.
The elections office address is:
919 SW Grady Way, Suite 100
Renton, WA 98057
You can also register to vote in-person at a vote center or at one of our community events.
You can also watch the King County Elections’ Register to Vote video here.
Registration Deadlines
People may register to vote at any time, but there are registration deadlines prior to each election.
If registering by mail or online (or updating address), the deadline is eight days before Election Day.
Same day registration and voting is available in person. Voters may register to vote or update their registration in person at King County Elections headquarters or at a Vote Center until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Voter registration forms are available in 24 languages at King County Elections Headquarters, 919 SW Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057, or at kce.wiki/VoterReg.
King County Elections has also produced a Guide to Voting brochure in 24 languages. That brochure is available at our Headquarters in Renton, or online on the Elections Education and Outreach page.
We recommend using pen when filling out a voter registration form to ensure that the signature is clear enough to scan into the voter’s registration record.
How To Help A Registered Voter Update Their Registration
1. Go to VoteWA.gov and enter first name, last name, and date of birth. This will log in to the voter’s VoteWA profile. Click Submit.
2. Review the name, date of birth, and address to ensure you’ve identified the correct voter record. This is particularly important with common names. Select the red “This is not me” button if the wrong voter is identified.
TIP: If VoteWA is unable to find the person in the system, ask if they could be registered under a name variation, such as Mike instead of Michael.
3. Click the blue “Update my name or address” button and follow steps 2 through 7 above.
If a voter’s registration status is listed as inactive, it means that they previously had an undeliverable ballot. After they update their address, they will be returned to active status and begin receiving ballots again.
Voter Signatures
Voter signatures are used to verify a voter’s identify. In each election, King County Elections staff compare the signature on a voter’s ballot declaration to the signature on their voter registration record. A ballot is only counted if the signatures match.
Signatures do not have to be fancy, neat, or even legible. But they do have to match, from the voter’s registration to their ballot declarations, every election.
Verify that all voters understand that their signature is how they will be identified by King County Elections, and that the signature on their registration form is written in pen. It should be able to be seen clearly by a scanner so blue or black pen is best, but any dark color will work. Pencils are typically too light to work for voter registration forms.
For locations and hours, visit kingcounty.gov/elections.
How To Vote
How To Track Your Ballot
All voters can track their ballot online to make sure it was received by King County Elections and then track it through the process to being counted. If there is an issue with a voter’s signature, the ballot tracker will point them
in the right direction to get it fixed so their vote can be counted. If there are
no issues with a ballot, voters can rest easy on Election Day knowing that
their voice was heard.
Voters can track their ballot at kce.wiki/TrackMyBallot.
Sign up for ballot alerts
Voters can opt in and receive text and/or email notifications as their ballot makes it through the process. Voters who opt in will receive messages when their ballot has been mailed to them, received back at KCE, signature verified and counted. Voters who have their signature challenged will also get an alert letting them know that further action is needed.
Once the voter signs up through the online ballot tracker, they’ll be set for all future elections and they can unsubscribe at any time. Ballot alerts are currently available in Chinese, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Sign up at kce.wiki/BallotAlert.
Additional Information for Pierce County voters
CONTACT PIERCE COUNTY ELECTIONS
Email: Elections@PierceCountyWa.gov
Phone: 253-798-VOTE (8683)
Address: 2501 S. 35th St. C, Tacoma, WA 98409
Register to vote by mail in Pierce County
Download and print a voter registration form from the Secretary of State. Forms are available in many languages. We need to receive the registration at least 8 days in advance of the next election so plan to mail in early.
Mail your completed form to:
Pierce County Elections
2501 S. 35th St. C
Tacoma, WA 98409
Register to vote In-person in Pierce County
You can register to vote in-person at the Pierce County Elections in Renton.
The elections office address is:
Pierce County Elections 2501 S. 35th St. C
Tacoma, WA 98409
Change my address
Learn how to change your residential or mailing address on your voter registration.
You can update your residential or mailing address online or by mail up to 8 days before an election or in-person through Election day. If you mail a registration update, it must be received, not postmarked, by the 8 day deadline.
Voting with a felony conviction
If you have a felony conviction in Washington State, another state, or in federal court, your voting rights are restored automatically as long as you are not currently in jail or prison for that felony. You will have voting rights immediately after your release from prison following a felony conviction. You have voting rights regardless of community supervision status, outstanding legal fines, or court fees.
After you are released, you must re-register to vote. You can re-register online, by mail, or in person.
You can register to vote even if you are under community supervision or have outstanding legal fees. As long as you are not currently incarcerated for the felony conviction, and meet the other qualifications, you are eligible to register and vote.
For more information on felony voting rights, visit the Washington Secretary of State website.
If you have questions about your status with the Department of Corrections, call 800-430-9674.
You may not register if you are:
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- Disqualified due to a court order.
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- Currently in jail or prison for a Federal or out-of-state felony.
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- Currently in jail or prison under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections for a Washington felony conviction.