EVERETT—On Thursday, July 17, Snohomish County Elections will begin sending out ballots for the August 5 Primary Election to around 470,000 registered voters. Ballots should start arriving in mailboxes by the end of the week, with deliveries extending through the weekend and into early next week. The Primary includes key local contests for county, city, school, and fire district positions, along with several ballot measures affecting various districts.
This week, every Snohomish County household received a local voters’ pamphlet in the mail. Note that about 60,000 voters have no races or measures on their ballot for this Primary and thus will not receive one. Earlier, in mid-June, the Elections office mailed 7,619 ballots to military and overseas voters.
“Local elections play a critical role in our communities, and voting in the August 5 Primary helps decide which candidates proceed to the November General Election,” stated Snohomish County Auditor, Garth Fell. “The officials chosen this year will influence the direction of our county, cities, schools, and other districts.”
This year’s Primary will determine over 180 local offices, narrowing the candidate pool. In each contest, the two highest vote-getters advance to November. Partisan roles, like county council seats, are always on the Primary ballot, regardless of the number of filers (even if just one or two). Most nonpartisan races only appear if three or more candidates enter.
Voters may spot some updates to their ballot materials this cycle, reflecting Snohomish County Elections’ commitment to enhancing the voting experience.
“We continually refine our processes to benefit voters,” said Auditor Fell. “For this election, we’ve switched the local voters’ pamphlet to a more accessible booklet style. We’ve also minimized inserts in the ballot packet and included tailored instructions to make everything clearer and more efficient.”
A key update is the elimination of the detachable stub at the ballot’s top, which voters used to remove before submission.
“All these modifications aim to make voting simpler and more approachable,” Auditor Fell explained.
Online or mail voter registration and updates are available until Monday, July 28. In-person options—including registration, updates, ballot replacements, and accessible voting devices—will be offered until 8 p.m. on Election Day, August 5, at the Auditor’s Office in Everett or designated accessible sites. Check the local voters’ pamphlet or the county website for locations and hours.
For the Primary, 35 secure ballot drop boxes will be available, operating 24/7 until 8 p.m. on August 5. These provide a safe, no-cost way to submit ballots. Find the full list in the voters’ pamphlet or at bit.ly/SnoCo_dropbox.
Ballots can also be returned via mail without postage; they must be postmarked by August 5 to be valid. To avoid delays, voters should verify USPS collection times on mailboxes to ensure processing by the deadline.
If a ballot hasn’t arrived by July 23, contact Snohomish County Elections at 425-388-3444. Visit snoco.org/elections for additional details. Follow the Auditor’s Office on Facebook, Instagram, and X, or email questions to elections@snoco.org.
Author: Mario Lotmore
