Washington Voter Turnout Below 30 Percent On Election Night

OLYMPIA, WA — With just 90 minutes until the polls closed on Election Day, only 29.2 percent of ballots had been received statewide, according to data from the Secretary of State's Office. As of 6:35 p.m. Tuesday, just 1,315,081 ballots were recorded among Washington's 4.5 million registered voters.

Per the last update, 423,586 ballots were cast in King County — a voter turnout rate just under 32 percent. In Snohomish County, 113,291 ballots were received, accounting for less than 24 percent of the county's registered voters. In Pierce County, 114,443 ballots were recorded, reflecting a 22 percent voter turnout.

State election officials said numbers include all ballots received, including accepted and challenged ballots, and those still waiting to be processed. Final vote totals will be available after all ballots are counted. The percentages are expected to rise, accounting for last-minute voters, and turnout rates in individual cities can often be a few points higher compared to the county average.

The November 2016 general election saw statewide voter turnout reach nearly 80 percent in Washington. Participation dropped to 37 percent during the 2017 general election, before climbing back to nearly 72 percent during the November 2018 election.

You can track ballot return statistics in all Washington counties via the Secretary of State's website.