Bank Your Vote

Vote early, then become a Ballot Shepherd

Washington state ballots have finally dropped. President Trump and Republican National Committee are urging everyone to vote as soon as they can. DON’T WAIT until Nov. 5 to vote! A ballot cast early is like having money in the bank, so voting early is called “banking your vote.”

If you haven’t received your ballot yet, you should get it early the week of Oct. 21. If your ballot does not arrive by Friday, Oct. 25 call the auditor’s office and make sure they have your correct address on file. You can print a ballot at home, or you can get a new one at the Auditor’s office. If you have to print a new ballot, that will invalidate the original, so don’t try to vote that one if it arrives a few days later.

Why Vote Early?

Most conservatives in Washington state would like to have election DAY and vote in person. Me, too. However, we have to adjust to the reality of the world we live in. This election, we need to bank our vote.

Reason number one: Seize the Day. Remember the old commercial tag line “Life comes at you fast.” Take care of voting as soon as possible, so that you don’t lose your vote due to accident or bad luck. Every year, I hear the same tired excuses: “I lost my ballot. I got busy and forgot to vote. I didn’t know who to vote for. I didn’t mail it (or get to the ballot box) in time. I had an emergency to deal with on election day. I got sick.”

This is the year to make sure you don’t forget, don’t lose your ballot and don’t lose your vote because of bad luck. At the very least, vote this coming weekend if you’re rushed for time during the week.

Not sure who to vote for? You’ve still got time to research! You might try reviewing the last six weeks of this column, Dangerous Rhetoric. I’ve covered most of the statewide races and candidates. It’s easy to find online at nancydchurchill.substack.com. I’ve also posted my candidate recommendations to my favorite Facebook groups.

Of course, you can talk to friends that you trust and find out what they think about the candidates. Today is the day to do the research so that you can vote as soon as possible.

Reason number two: Signature Verification. Later in this article, I’ll tell you how to track your ballot, but for now just realize that you can and should do that.

When the auditor’s office receives your ballot, they do a number of tasks right away, even before the outer envelope is opened. First they scan the unique-to-you barcode. This will give your ballot a status of “received.” The next step will be to compare your signature on the envelope to the signature on file with the auditor’s office. The elections staff are well educated in recognizing fraudulent signatures—so don’t sign your spouse’s envelope for him or her!

A small number of people forget to sign the outer envelope. For another small group of people, their signature has changed. This may be because of age or illness-related changes, but it could also be because your signature has simply “evolved.” In these cases, your ballot status will be “challenged.” You’re going to have to make a trip to the auditor’s office to sign your ballot, or update your signature on file.

Reason number three: Stop the campaign calls and mailers. Like it or not, you have a voting history. Both political parties rate all voters based on their most likely past voting preferences. They know which party primary you voted in for the last presidential primary. Based on that and frequently correlated with your financial donations to candidates or political party, you’ll have a ranking something like “Hard D, Likely D, Swing, Likely R, or Hard R.” They also know if you vote in very every election, never vote or sometimes vote.

When your ballot is accepted at the auditor’s office, your vote is like money in the bank. Candidates can stop courting you and focus their attention on the voters who haven’t responded yet. You get taken off of call lists and mailing lists. For you, the election is almost over.

Become a Ballot Shepherd

Why did I say “almost” over? Once you have voted, it’s time to help your friends and family cast their votes. You know how a good shepherd dog keeps the flock moving in the same direction? You can shepherd your ten favorite friends and family to make sure they get their vote cast on time, too.

Call your flock, make sure each one has voted. Be relentless, and bug them every day until they’ve voted. Unfortunately, many people think their vote doesn’t count. In the 2024 primary, conservatives were just 45 votes away from having two Republicans on the ballot for Washington’s Public Lands Commissioner. In a state-wide race, that’s a razor thin margin. Every vote counts! And last year, one of the Curlew school board directors was elected by coin toss, because the race was tied. The more local the race, the more important your vote is.

In Washington state, you can legally bring ballots to the drop box for other people. Be a good neighbor and a good ballot shepherd and offer to help your elderly relatives, friends or neighbors who need a little encouragement and assistance in getting their ballot ready. They might need a ride to town to deliver their ballot to the drop box. They might be willing to let you save them a trip to town if mobility is a challenge.

Being responsible for someone else’s ballot is an honor and responsibility. Be sure to show the people you’re helping how to track their ballot so they know that you delivered it properly. Be sure to use a secure dropbox, not the U.S. Mail, to reduce the number of people who will handle the ballots.

Track your Ballot, Cure your Ballot

In Washington state, you can track the status of your ballot online through the VoteWA.gov portal. Here's how to do it. Visit VoteWA.gov, the official voter information portal for Washington state. Input your first name, last name, and date of birth to log in. Once logged in, select the "Ballot Status" option. This section provides details about your ballot.

The most common ballot status codes are as follows. Sent: The date your ballot was mailed to you. Received: The date your completed ballot was received by your county elections office. Accepted: Confirmation that your ballot has been accepted and will be counted. Challenged: Indicates an issue with your ballot, such as a signature discrepancy. In this case, your county elections office should contact you to resolve the issue, but if you see your ballot status is “challenged” go ahead and call the auditor’s office and ask what you need to do to “cure” your ballot.

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Your vote is important. Working with your network of friends and family as a ballot shepherd is vitally important. Tracking your ballot is one simple way for you to have a huge impact on election integrity. Please do your part to Make America Great Again! Your vote could be the difference in an important race this year!

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Nancy Churchill is a writer and educator in rural eastern Washington State, and the state committeewoman for the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own. Dangerous Rhetoric is available on thinkspot, Rumble and Substack.

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Sources:

1) Ballot Status Codes, WA Secretary of State, https://bit.ly/48nj7vJ