Protect Snohomish County Voters from Disenfranchisement!

Snohomish County Auditor Carolyn Weikel

Free and fair elections are vital to the health of any democracy and in our democracy, your vote is your voice. Sadly, the voices of some voters may not be heard this year unless we remove serious barriers to voting.

These barriers include:

Snohomish County ballots in the November 2016 election will require 68 cents postage due to the weight of the ballot.

Snohomish County provides only twelve ballot drop boxes for the entire county, significantly underserving the voting population.

Snohomish County should take the following four actions immediately to rectify this problem:

  1. Request funding for an additional fifteen ballot drop boxes and/or drop box vans with extended hours, to be installed before October 20th in locations determined by population density, average income, and current drop box locations.
  2. Develop a comprehensive outreach plan to inform voters that two “Forever “stamps or 68 cents of postage is necessary to mail back a ballot. This information should be made available in all ballot translation languages
  3. Work with the United States Postal Service to ensure adequate training for postal carriers is provided about the election laws and best practices for returning all ballots, regardless of postage, to the county elections office.
  4. Collaborate with local community groups throughout the county to identify other opportunities for communication, engagement and ensuring all voters are able to cast a ballot this November.


Petition by
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Seattle, Washington
Sponsored by

To: Snohomish County Auditor Carolyn Weikel
From: [Your Name]

CC: Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers
Snohomish County Councilmembers Council Brian Sullivan, Stephanie Wright, Hans Dunshee, Terry Ryan, and Ken Klein

We request immediate action to protect the rights of all Snohomish County voters in the upcoming November 8th general election.

Free and fair elections are vital to the health of any democracy and in our democracy, your vote is your voice. Sadly, the voices of some voters will not be heard this year unless we remove serious barriers to voting. On September 12th, 2016, the Everett Herald reported that Snohomish County ballots in the November 2016 election will require 68 cents postage due to the weight of the ballot. (Cornfield, Jerry. “Longest Ballot in 10 Years Will Cost You 68 Cents to Mail.” Everett Herald 9/12/2016).

This news is alarming because Snohomish County does not currently provide an adequate number of ballot drop boxes to serve the needs of its voters. There are only twelve ballot drop-box locations in Snohomish County. By comparison, there are thirty-six ballot drop off locations – three times as many – in Pierce County, which has about the same number of voters as Snohomish County. Even with three times as many drop off locations, voters in Pierce County’s Tillicum village face barriers to both paying for postage or traveling the ten miles to the nearest drop box, and are struggling to get a drop box in their neighborhood. [1] Clearly, with only twelve ballot drop-box locations, Snohomish voters are currently underserved.

According to the Survey of Performance of American Elections and PEW Charitable Trusts, more than 30% of Washington voters who used a ballot drop box in the 2014 general election did so because they did not have postage or needed to save money on postage.[2]

Now, these same voters must either find a way to afford two stamps on their ballot or make the time to track down one of only twelve drop boxes. Either of these expenditures could be enough to discourage many from casting their ballot and making their voice heard.

We ask that you take the following four actions immediately to rectify this problem:

1) Request funding for an additional fifteen ballot drop boxes and/or drop box vans with extended hours, to be installed before October 20th in locations determined by population density, average income, and current drop box locations.
2) Develop a comprehensive outreach plan to inform voters that two “Forever “stamps or 68 cents of postage is necessary to mail back a ballot. This information should be made available in all ballot translation languages.
3) Work with the United States Postal Service to ensure adequate training for postal carriers is provided about the election laws and best practices for returning all ballots, regardless of postage, to the county elections office.
4) Collaborate with local community groups throughout the county to identify other opportunities for communication, engagement and ensuring all voters are able to cast a ballot this November.

Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. Voting rights are the bedrock of our Democracy and we hope you will take immediate action to rectify this serious threat to your constituents’ right to vote.

Sincerely,

[1] “Neighbors want ballot box in Tillicum Village.” King 5. http://www.king5.com/news/politics/neighbors-want-ballot-box-in-tillicum-village/312726807
[2] “Vote by Mail Rates More Than Double Since 2000.” Stateline. http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/4/29/vote-by-mail-practices-more-than-double-since-2000