FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2019
Transparency on Display in Kitsap County Elections
PORT ORCHARD - This year’s General Election will offer a new view for Kitsap voters.
The Kitsap County Auditor’s Office installed a web cam into the Elections processing room so voters will be able to see ballot handling as it happens. The view is available on the main Elections page at kcowa.us/elections 24 hours a day, beginning Oct. 22. “We’ve always welcomed, and will continue to welcome, voters to witness the process in person. Now they can do the next best thing, checking in from their computers or phones,” said Paul Andrews, Kitsap County Auditor.
Ballots for the Nov. 5, 2019, General Election will be mailed to all Kitsap voters by Oct. 18. Most residents should see their ballots by Oct. 22.
The Local Voters’ Pamphlet was mailed earlier this month and is also available online at kcowa.us/lvp. No postage will be required for voters returning ballots. The county’s 22 ballot drop boxes will open on Oct. 18 until 8 p.m. on election night. Voters returning their ballots by mail should do so before Friday, Nov. 1 to ensure their ballots are postmarked on time. “Of course, we recommend you return them as early in the process as possible, because our memory of the February election is still fresh,” Andrews said.
In February, a snowstorm delayed mail pickup at some mailboxes, so some voters’ ballots were not counted because they were not picked up by the US Postal Service to be postmarked by Election Day.
During the last two weeks in October, Elections staff will host mobile voting locations in different parts of the county. Residents can receive and return ballots, or use Accessible Voting Units, which assist voters with disabilities. The mobile voting schedule and a list of ballot drop boxes are available in the voters’ pamphlet and at kcowa.us/vote. Online and mail registrations and address changes must be received by Oct. 28. Residents can register to vote or change their address in person at the Kitsap County Auditor’s Office, 619 Division Street in Port Orchard from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Residents can also register to vote and change their voter registration address at the Olympic College Vote Center, 1000 Olympic College Way NW, Poulsbo, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election day.
Ballots must be returned to one of the county’s drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, or postmarked by that day.
