You must be a citizen of the United States, a legal resident of the state of Washington,and at least 18 years old by election day.  If you have been convicted of a felony, you must have your rights restored before you register to vote.

How to Register

• Pick up a registration mail-in form from the local library or from the County Auditor's office. Complete the form according to the instructions, put on a 1st class postage stamp, and mail to the Secretary of State's office. You will receive a voter registration card showing your name, address, and precinct.
• You can follow this link to the Secretary of State's Voter Information section online and follow the directions there!

Registering to Vote in Washington State

• "Motor Voter" legislation enables a citizen to register to vote or to transfer their registration with their driver's license application or renewal.

Deadlines

You must register to vote at least 30 days prior to the primary, general, or special election in which you wish to vote.

After this deadline, if you are a new voter in the State of Washington, you may register to vote by appearing in person at the County Auditor's office at least 15 days prior to the election.
Requesting an Absentee Ballot is no longer necessary, as Island County is now a Vote by Mail County. All active registered voters will automatically be mailed a ballot approximately 3 weeks prior to each election.  If you do not receive your ballot or if you have changed your address, please contact the Auditor's Office by phone (360-679-7366), by mail, by e-mail, or in person. 

Ballot Drop Off Centers

Ballot Drop Off Center locations are published in the local papers about a week prior to the election, or you can call the Auditor's Office for information about where you may drop off your ballots. You can also visit the Elections page on this site:

Elections

Election Day and Voting Information

We are excited that we are now able to publish a Local Voters' Pamphlet which is mailed about the same time as absentee ballots. There is also much good information in the Online Voters' Guide prepared by the Secretary of State's Office:

For More Information: Secretary of State