State To Pay Ballot Postage For Whole State - Except King County

OLYMPIA, WA - Gov. Jay Inslee has granted a request from Secretary of State Kim Wyman to pay for postage on ballots for the 2018 primary and general elections. This will mark the first time in Washington's vote-by-mail system that voters will be able to return ballots free of charge.

Inslee and Wyman's offices will each provide $600,000 to pay for postage fees for this year's elections.

The total cost for funding all 39 counties is an estimated $1.8 million. Inslee and Wyman were able to secure $1.2 million combined, and because King County has already funded its 2018 Primary and General Election ballot return envelopes, Inslee and Wyman will ask the 2019 Legislature for a one-time reimbursement for that county’s expenses. Wyman’s office will administer the 2018 funding as a grant to all of the 38 counties that choose to provide pre-paid ballot return postage to their voters.

The King County Council last week approved an appropriation to pay for free ballot mailing in King County only. The Council council made the move after Wyman asked them to wait until all counties in the state could go postage-free.

King County Executive took issue with the state's plan to exclude King County from the funding. The county has already set aside funds.

"The decision to exclude King County - and only King County - from the state reimbursement plan for prepaid ballot postage is grossly unfair. We urge state leaders to reconsider. If the state cannot afford to fully reimburse all counties for ballot postage, it should provide the same partial, per voter subsidy statewide," Constantine said.

King County conducted an experiment with free postage for special elections in early 2017. The elections had higher turnout than usual.

Image courtesy King County