General election ballots to be mailed Wednesday; ballot box moved

Ahead of the August primary election, the Lewis County Auditor’s Office will mail 54,982 ballots to registered voters on Wednesday, July 17.

Ballots can take up to 10 days to arrive, and registered voters should begin to see their ballots the week of July 22 to 26. If a voter hasn’t received their ballot after 10 days, the auditor’s office recommends visiting votewa.gov and selecting “my ballot,” calling 360-740-1278 or visiting 351 NW North St., Chehalis. If a registered voter has moved, they can update their registration with either of the options.

Completed ballots must be postmarked by Aug. 6, and the United States Postal Service advises voters should mail their ballot one week before the election. Voters can also submit their ballot in any ballot dropbox, which open 20 days before the election.

If the ballot is mailed on election day, the Auditor’s Office recommends voters take the ballot to a postal clerk and have them stamp the envelope with a cancellation stamp.

For more election information and to find a ballot drop box, go to elections.lewiscountywa.gov.

The auditor’s office previously mailed 526 military and overseas ballots on June 20.

“The advanced mailing provides voters in the military or overseas with time to receive their ballot, learn about the candidates and/or issues, and return their ballot in a timely manner,” the Lewis County Auditor’s Office previously stated in a news release.

For military and overseas voters, the date on the ballot declaration associated with the voter’s signature determines the validity of the ballot. The signature on the ballot declaration must be dated no later than election day and must be received in Lewis County Auditor’s Office one day prior to election certification.

Learn more at https://elections.lewiscountywa.gov/.

Ballot box moved

With weeks to spare before the Aug. 6 primary, Lewis County has moved its “Star” Chehalis ballot box, named for the former Star Tavern that was once at the location.

The ballot box, which had been housed on an empty lot near the Lewis County Courthouse, has been relocated to its permanent home in the parking lot behind Community Development’s new building in Chehalis.

To access the site, voters can use Community Development’s Center Street parking lot entrance at 435 NW Center St.

“The new Center Street ballot drop box location — directly behind the new Community Development building — is close to the Historic Courthouse and will provide a better flow of traffic,” Lewis County Auditor Larry Grove said in a news release. “The new parking lot is paved, so there will not be the continual issue of potholes we encountered at the old gravel lot location.”

In the news release, Grove thanked the county crews responsible for the move, especially considering the box’s popularity.

“The original location was next to the historic Star Tavern,” he said. “And the ballot drop box became affectionately known as ‘The Star,’ given it receives by far the most ballots each election of the 14 ballot drop boxes countywide.”

Lewis County, which has roughly 55,400 voters, offers ballot boxes in all nine of its incorporated cities — Chehalis, Centralia, Morton, Mossyrock, Napavine, Pe Ell, Toledo, Vader and Winlock — as well as in the unincorporated areas of Mineral, Onalaska and Packwood.

Ballot boxes are open 24 hours a day beginning 20 days prior to each election. They close promptly at 8 p.m. on election day.