July 16: The ballots are mailed. Beginning of the 18-day voting period.

July 26: Online and mailed registrations must be received at least eight days before polling day. You can register to vote in person any time before 8:00 p.m. on polling day.

August 3: Deadline for voter registration or updates.

August 3: Deposit of the ballot in an official drop box before 8 p.m.

October 15: The ballots are mailed. Beginning of the 18-day voting period.

October 25: Online and mail registrations must be received at least eight days before polling day. You can register to vote in person any time before 8:00 p.m. on polling day.

November 2: Deadline for voter registration or updates.

November 2: Deposit of the ballot in an official drop box before 8 p.m.

Washington has been a postal voting state since 2011.

Registered voters do not need to request a ballot. Ballots are automatically mailed to the address the voter registered for.

Confirm your registration at VoteWA.gov.

Completed ballots can be dropped off at an official drop box or by mail. Stamps are not required to mail a completed ballot.

Ballots must be deposited or postmarked before polling day. The U.S. Postal Service recommends voters vote by mail one week before.

Ballots must be signed. Signatures are verified against voter registration records.

Eligible voters receive a ballot paper at least 18 days before polling day.

Ballots are placed in an envelope or security pocket.

The envelope or security pouch is then placed in a return envelope and signed.

Ballots are prepaid and returned by mail or at the ballot box. (If sent by post, the postmark must be done before polling day). Drop boxes are open until 8 p.m. on polling day.

After casting or sending a ballot, voters can track the status of their ballot by visiting VoteWA.gov.

In the navigation bar, select “Ballot Status”.

The information includes when the ballot was sent, when it was returned, and its current status.

After delivery of a ballot, the envelopes are scanned and marked as “received” in the state system.

They are classified by district and by district.

The signatures on the ballot papers are checked against the voter registration records. (Voters are contacted prior to processing if a signature is missing or does not match)

The envelopes are opened and the security pouch is removed.

The ballots are removed from the security pocket.

Ballots are examined for scanning issues, then scanned and stored.

Local and national races will appear on your ballot.

Here’s a look at some of the top contests in the Washington state primary on August 3:

For the first time since 2009, incumbent Dow Constantine faces a serious challenger for the King County executive.

State Senator Joe Nguyen challenges Constantine, who is running for his fourth term.

Constantine hasn’t faced a serious challenge since 2009, when he was first elected in place of former TV presenter Susan Hutchison.

Nguyen believes further reforms are needed in the King County Sheriff’s Office and that he believes Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht should step down, rather than retire as his opponent has suggested.

Nguyen called on Constantine for his support in building a new juvenile prison.

Constantine has previously said he sees no difference in values ​​with Nguyen and said he will take his campaign seriously. He defended his leadership on the juvenile prison, pointing out that the old building contained asbestos and “rusty water”; the new building is half the size in an effort to reduce juvenile detention, he said.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s choice not to run for another term led to a widely open race and major fundraiser.

Colleen Echohawk: Is the executive director of the nonprofit Chief Seattle Club. She has received numerous awards for her service and time dedicated to advocating for the homeless, and in particular, homeless Native Americans. She is the founder of the Coalition to End Urban Native Homelessness.

Raised approximately $ 408,000 in private donations and democracy vouchers.

Jessyn farrell: The former state representative served in the Washington State Legislature for four years before running for mayor of Seattle in 2017. She finished fourth in the primary that year. She is a longtime public transportation and environmental activist and previously served as Executive Director of the nonprofit Transportation Choices Coalition, which has been an incubator for future elected leaders.

Raised approximately $ 224,000 in private donations and democracy vouchers.

Mr. Lorena González: The Seattle City Council President became one of the top candidates to enter the race when she announced her campaign in February. González spoke at length about his vision to get Seattle out of an economic crisis, as well as homelessness and the police. She defended the new regional approach to roaming, saying: “We also need to address livability issues.

Raised approximately $ 377,351 in private donations and Democracy Bonds.

Bruce harrell: The three-term Seattle City Council member and chairman served from 2008 to 2019. He served briefly as mayor following Ed Murray’s resignation. Harrell said he wanted wider participation when it came to solving the problem of homelessness and wanted to create an employment center to train and empower. Regarding police accountability, he said he would ask every sworn police officer to watch the video that shows the murder of George Floyd and sign a statement saying “the inhumane treatment of other human beings will not be tolerated in Seattle “.

Raised approximately $ 399,500 in private donations and democracy vouchers.

Andrew Grant Houston: A resident of Capitol Hill, Houston is the founder of Design of House Cosmopolitan and a member of the board of directors of Futurewise. He is a member of organizations such as Share the Cities, Pike / Pine Urban Neighborhood Council and Sunrise Movement. He is acting politician for Councilor Teresa Mosqueda.

On its candidate website, Houston says it is “time to transform our economy in response and in preparation for the uncertainty that accompanies climate change.” This includes fair wages, investments in sustainable infrastructure and more.

Raised approximately $ 408,000 in donations and democracy vouchers.

Arthur Langlie: Langlie describes himself as an independent, centrist politician focused on “developing collaborative and interdisciplinary partnerships that bring together diverse thinkers and actors for a common purpose.” This approach can “speed up treatments against homelessness” while restoring the city center, expanding local businesses, revamping public safety and distributing resources more equitably, its website says.

Raised approximately $ 121,000 in donations and democracy vouchers.

Three names will appear on the ballot for the mayor of Tacoma. Of these, however, incumbent Victoria Woodards is the only one to have received substantial contributions.

Woodards has served as mayor since 2018. Prior to that, she was an individual member of Tacoma City Council for seven years.

Also on the ballot were Jamika Scott, who raised about $ 6,400 and Steve Haverly, who made no contributions.

Incumbent Cassie Franklin, who took office in 2018, will appear on the ballot along with challengers Steve Oss and Ron Wittock.

Franklin was the first woman to be elected mayor of Everett. She says she focuses on economic development, public safety and civic engagement.

In his candidate statement, Oss focuses on supporting business and addressing “Everett’s deficit now”.

Whittock did not submit a statement.

Neither Oss nor Whittock reported any contributions to the campaign.

Incumbent Teresa Mosqueda faces a number of opponents in bidding for a general post on Seattle City Council.

Mosqueda has raised $ 176,000 in the form of donations and democracy bonds, far beyond all of his opponents.

Mosqueda was elected to the council in 2017. Among her bills is the recently confirmed payroll tax that will tax companies that spend $ 7 million or more on wages in the city.

Several well-known names are on the ballot to replace outgoing board chair Lorena González for her personal position on the board.

Fremont Brewing co-owner Sara Nelson, who ran against Mosqueda in 2017, said she decided to come forward to help “get the city back on track” and wanted to have the voice of an owner of small business on the board.

Nelson raised $ 210,000 in donations and democracy bonds.

Lawyer and civic activist Nikkita Oliver, who ran for mayor of Seattle in 2017, said on her campaign website that “meeting basic needs is a foundation for community safety.” The city needs affordable and social housing, fair transportation, affordable child care, fully funded schools, and more, its website says.

Oliver raised $ 187,000 in donations and democracy bonds.

Brianna Thomas, González’s chief of staff, said she sees the opportunity to step in, serve and lead. This is his second attempt to run for council. She failed in 2015, but said now: “I think in 2015 I was full of enthusiasm, which I still am. But coming from an advocacy venue, I was one of those people who told my elected officials what I wanted to see. . “

Thomas raised $ 115,000 in donations and democracy bonds.

Three King County Council members are competing for their positions – District 3, 7 and 9.

District 3 incumbent Kathy Lambert takes on Joe Cohen and Sarah Perry.

District 7 incumbent Pete von Reichbauer takes on Lydei Assefa-Dawson, Dominique Torgerson and Saudia J. Abdullah.

District 9 incumbent Reagan Dunn faces off against Ubax Gardheere, Chris Franco and Kim-Khanh Van.

Two people are campaigning for District 1 and will automatically go to the general election.