Voters get the wrong envelopes

ASOTIN — The vendor who prepares general election ballot materials for Asotin County mistakenly included envelopes that require postage, Auditor Darla McKay said Monday.

Ballots were mailed Friday to 14,392 registered Asotin County voters, and election officials notified the Washington secretary of state’s office Monday morning about the Tacoma-based vendor’s mistake. Grant County voters also received the wrong envelopes.

“Our job is to be sure that voters in both of these counties are treated the same as the voters in Washington’s other 37 counties,” Secretary of State Kim Wyman said. “That’s why my office is assisting elections officials in those two counties to find a quick resolution.”

Post office staff in Asotin County have been made aware of the issue and indicated they will treat unstamped, ballot-return envelopes the same as business-reply mail, which doesn’t require postage, McKay said. Ballot-return envelopes with stamps affixed also will be accepted, to avoid any potential problems with postal processing.

Voters who wish to cast ballots immediately are encouraged to use one of the county’s drop boxes, McKay said. The boxes are located at Clarkston City Hall, the Asotin County Courthouse in Asotin, and Lincoln Middle School’s parking lot in the Clarkston Heights.

Another option is holding off a few days as new postage-paid envelopes will be provided to Asotin and Grant County voters by the vendor, McKay said.

“One of the advantages of Washington’s vote-by-mail system is that we have an 18-day voting period before Election Day to identify and correct any issues that come up,” Wyman said in a news release. “People sometimes make mistakes, and these counties have time to correct the problem. That’s the goal we’re working toward.”

This is the first year registered voters statewide were able to vote by mail without needing a stamp on the ballot-return envelope.

Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.