Washington’s Secretary of State Issues New Postage Rule For Ballots

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman has issued an emergency rule change that requires county officials to use first-class mail at least 15 days before Election Day when sending ballots to voters in October.

By law, ballots must be sent to voters no later than Oct. 16, with the initial mailing sent at a nonprofit bulk rate, which guarantees a delivery time between three and 10 days.

Under the new rule, at least 15 days prior to the election, any replacement ballots or ballots for newly registered voters would be mailed with first-class postage, with a delivery window between two and five days.