Tuesday's special election falls amid a series of snowstorms in western Washington, and election officials are preparing for the worst.
Elections officials issued a warning urging voters to return ballots early "to avoid possible delays" caused by snow conditions.
Ice leftover from Monday's storm continues to plague some surface streets across the region and a second powerful storm coming Friday and Saturday has the potential to worsen roads.
"We're still fine-tuning our contingency plan..." said Kafia Hosh, communications officer for King County Elections. There is always a back-up plan, according to Hosh, but she said contingency discussions specific to the incoming storm will continue through Friday.
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Kitsap County Elections is preparing contingency plans ahead of the winter storm to ensure everyone who wanted to vote has the opportunity.
A Vote Center at the Olympic College Poulsbo campus will open on Election Day from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Officials said an alternate location was also secured in case one is needed because of “extreme weather.” Kitsap County voters can also cast their ballot at the Kitsap County Auditor’s office, located at 619 Division Street in Port Orchard.
Voters who want to guarantee that their ballots get counted should drop them at drop boxes as soon as possible or bring them to post offices to be postmarked.
Ballots are due by Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Up to 4-8 inches of snow will fall in many areas between Friday and Saturday. However, some areas could see more, and some areas could see less.
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Hosh remained optimistic Thursday, reflecting on current ballot returns. About 102,000 ballots had been collected by the morning, significantly higher than the 90,6000 projected at that time.
The King County Elections office was closed Monday due to the snowstorm but reopened Tuesday.
"We picked up mail on Tuesday morning, and it doesn't appear any ballots are coming in late," she said.
Ballots do not require postage.