Concerns over ballot postmarking delays in WA

Well, the day before the election, we are hearing from the Secretary of State about issues with ballots in the mail and Sean Chitnis live at the King County Elections Office with more on ballots that have already been challenged. Sean, good morning. Bill, good morning, we know that state and local leaders have some concerns going into election day, worried that some people may be disenfranchised when specifically looking at how ballots are postmarked in this election. But so far, we're seeing only less than 1% of ballots that have been available for this election and the total number of voters To be challenged in the process right now, but if you compare the number of rejected ballots from the 2024 general election, which usually has a larger turnout because that was a presidential election year to the most recent August primary, the secretary of state has said that rejected ballots increased by 300 to 500% in some counties across Washington. Now, Governor Ferguson has already been encouraging all voters to seek out the nearest drop box for this election. Election day, of course, is on Tuesday, but what we're seeing, which is extremely unfortunate more and more, is that individuals who drop their ballot in the mailbox a few days before the election, those ballots are not always getting postmarked. And of course, the rule is you've got to be postmarked by election day. Now, when it comes to challenged ballots because of a signature, the Secretary of State's website explains you will be notified and have the chance to update your signature on file so your ballot is counted. You need to complete a signature resolution form and return it to your county elections office. It may differ depending on where you live. Here in King County, you can speed up the process by filing a form online. The election team here Also, we'll notify you by phone or email if you've provided them with that contact information. And if you've signed up for alerts, they'll text you, which they've said is the quickest way to find out what's happening with your ballot. And coming up later this morning, we are going to have the chance to hear from the team here, the King County Elections Office, on how things are looking a day before Election Day. Live in Renton, Sean Jettness, Fox 13 News.