Washington voter turnout expected to surpass 80% in 2024 general election

The Washington Secretary of State's Office expects voter turnout will be more than 80% for Tuesday's election. That's on par with the 2020 election, the last time the presidential race was on the ballot. In 2020, turnout was just over 84%.

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About 47% had voted early as of Friday, according to Secretary of Steve Hobbs. Hobbs, a Democrat, is running for reelection against Republican challenger Dale Whitaker.

"Now, the rule of thumb is you take the Friday before the election and double it," Hobbs said. "That's generally the turnout. But you know, I don't see it being that high."

That would be unheard of — having turnout over 90%. According to the Secretary of State's data, the 2008 general election saw the highest turnout since 1980, with 84.61%.

More people are registered to vote this year than in 2020.

In 2020, about 4.89 million Washingtonians were registered to vote. As of Monday, that number reached 5 million. There's still time register if you haven't already. Eligible voters can register or update their registration and vote in person at voting centers until 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

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If you've already filled out your ballot but haven't submitted it yet, Hobbs recommended dropping it off in an official ballot drop box rather than the mail.

"If you put your your ballot in the mailbox, but the mail-carrier was already there, guess what? It's not going to count," Hobbs explained.

The deadline to remember is 8 p.m. Tuesday. Voters have until then to vote in person, to submit ballots to an official drop box, or get them postmarked.

Voters can check their ballot's status at votewa.gov. Voters can also sign up for ballot updates via text message by updating their voter registration or by texting "VOTE" to 868392.

If your ballot has not been received, you can print out a replace ballot or visit a county elections office or voting center to request a new one. Just remember the 8 p.m. deadline to turn it in.

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As for concerns about election security, Hobbs said ballot boxes are being monitored, particularly those that were recently attacked. Last week, several ballot boxes were targeted with incendiary devices in Oregon and Washington state. Authorities have identified a "suspect vehicle" in connection with the fires that, together, damaged hundreds of ballots.

Hobbs was not aware of any additional threats as of Monday.