At this point, your mind is probably made up — you know who you are voting for. But for some students, like senior Henry Brown, there are a few extra steps to make before placing a vote. “It’s a pretty big [issue] that I haven’t gotten my ballot yet,” Brown said. Brown moved to Bellingham a few weeks ago and didn’t receive a ballot by mail when they were sent out on Oct. 21. However, Whatcom County offers multiple resources to make sure all voices are heard and all votes are counted on Nov 8. Replacement Ballots If the ballot can’t be forwarded to you or is damaged, voters can obtain a replacement ballot by contacting the elections department in their current city to request a new ballot be sent to the new address (SOS Paragraph 5). The elections department in Whatcom County is located at 311 Grand Ave, Suite 103, Bellingham, Washington. Where to turn in ballots: Those who received a ballot in late October can place their vote at drop boxes or by mail. Drop boxes are located around Whatcom County, and will remain open until 8 p.m. on Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8. Drop boxes near Western’s campus are located in front of the school bookstore, the Sehome Hill Haggen and in downtown Bellingham at 201 Grand Ave. There are also locations in Happy Valley, off of Guide Meridian Road and at Whatcom Community College. Voters may drop off ballots that are both out-of-state and from different counties to the drop boxes, where they will be forwarded to the address on the provided envelope. Sending ballots by mail: Ballots can be mailed using regular postal service if postmarked before Nov. 8. Whatcom County requires $0.68 postage on ballots. When you live in a different county: Whatcom County sends ballots to the address the voter registered, for some students this might not be the same as the address they currently live at. New addresses can be dorm rooms, apartments or houses, but the county isn’t sending ballots to P.O. Boxes. Freshman Gage Tuttle registered to vote in Whatcom County after being offered the option when he moved into the dorms. “It took a little while for me to get my ballot but other than that [voting] has been alright,” Tuttle said. When you live in a different state: When voting out of state, the same procedures must be followed and voters will need to get a new ballot sent to a current address.
