Pierce County Elections Manager: Ballots are in the mail

The Pierce County Auditor’s Office mailed ballots to 324,550 voters across Pierce County today. Ballots to military and overseas voters were mailed about a month ago. “Your ballot is chock-full of important races and issues,” said Pierce County Elections Manager Mike Rooney. The ballot includes nine statewide measures and candidates for U.S. Congress, the state Legislature, County Auditor, County Prosecutor and County Council districts 1, 5 and 7. In addition, judicial candidates are vying for seats on the state Supreme Court, state Court of Appeals, Pierce County District Court and Tacoma Municipal Court. And, if you live in Buckley or Ruston, you’ll find a local proposition to vote on. Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Tues., Nov. 2. If you want to save a stamp, you can use one of the Auditor’s 20 ballot drop sites. Ballot drop boxes will lock at 8 p.m. on Election Day. Pierce County is the last county in Washington to offer polling place elections. The county will open 56 polling places on Nov. 2. If you are a new voter, it’s not too late to register to vote in this election. First time voters or voters who are new to Washington state can register in person at the Auditor’s Office. The deadline is Oct. 25. The Pierce County Auditor’s Office is responsible for elections, licensing services, a variety of public records and animal control services. More information is available at http://www.piercecountywa.org/auditor .