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Regional Journalism
Dispatches from public radio's correspondent at the Washington Legislature. Austin Jenkins is the Olympia correspondent for the Northwest News Network. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) weekly public affairs program "Inside Olympia."

Washington Primary Ballots Due By 8 P.M. Tuesday

Washington Secretary of State's Office

It’s primary day in Washington. Tuesday’s vote will decide a park levy in Seattle and narrow the field in dozens of state legislative and Congressional races.

Ballots for the all vote-by-mail election are due in drop boxes by 8 p.m. Tuesday night.

The Secretary of State’s office recommends using a ballot drop box at this point, not the mail. If you need to locate your closest official drop box go to www.myvote.wa.gov.

Election results will begin to post after 8 p.m. Typically, counties update their numbers once on election night and then not again until the following day, so in close primary races we may not know who the top two challengers will be until later in the week.

About 40 percent of the state’s registered voters are expected to mail in a ballot in this primary. It will set the stage for the November elections when all 10 Congressional seats, all Washington House seats and about half of state Senate seats are up.

One other note: Washington’s Secretary of State says about five percent of ballots were mailed to voters with the return envelopes already sealed. If you got one of those, open the sealed envelope, put your ballot in it and tape it shut. The Secretary of State’s office said they will be counted.

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia."