With the Nov. 3 midterm elections approaching, voting is now more accessible to Bellevue College students and the surrounding community with the installation of a new ballot drop box on campus!
The drop box was installed in July through a partnership with King County Elections and is located between parking lots 1A and 3A. It is the 90th ballot drop box installed in King County, which has since expanded to 100 locations ahead of the general election as part of a funding plan to improve voter security and accessibility.
The box is open 24 hours a day until Election Day, Nov. 3, when it will close at 8 p.m. Voters can drop off their completed ballots for free, with no postage needed to mail.
“College campuses have long been places to exercise free speech, learn about government and politics, and participate in democracy,” Bellevue College President David May said in a news release.
Bellevue College will also host a Vote Center on the third floor of the U Building, in the Gary Locke Ballroom. The center will be open Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Nov. 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Nov. 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Vote Center will provide voter registration assistance, replacement ballots, and accessible voting equipment for disabled individuals.
If you haven’t registered to vote yet, it isn’t too late! Although Washington’s online and mail registration deadline has passed on Oct. 26, eligible voters can still register in person at a Vote Center until 8 p.m. on Election Day. To register, individuals must be U.S. citizens, Washington residents and at least 18 years old by Election Day, along with meeting some other state eligibility requirements.
Washington conducts its elections mainly through mail, which means active, registered voters automatically receive their paper ballots at their registered mailing addresses. Voters can also check their registration status and track their ballots through VoteWA.
Students can visit VoteWA for more information about their registration and ballots.
