Every election season, we hear some version of the same statement:
“My vote doesn’t count.”
Maybe you have even said it yourself.
It can be easy to understand where that frustration comes from. Washington is a vote-by-mail state. We do not gather together at neighborhood polling places the way many of us remember from years ago. We fill out a ballot at the kitchen table, sign the envelope and send it away. Sometimes the outcome of a statewide race may seem predictable. Sometimes the candidate you supported did not win the last election. Sometimes it feels as though Olympia is so far removed from life in Clallam County, Jefferson County and northern Grays Harbor County that one ballot could not possibly make a difference.
But there is something important we need to remember:
Voting is not simply about picking the winner. Voting is how citizens give their voice to their government.
And when we choose not to vote, we voluntarily remove that voice from the decision.
Not Voting Does Not Stop the Decision
An election does not wait until everyone decides to participate.
Someone will still be elected.
A levy will still pass or fail.
An initiative will still be approved or rejected.
School funding, property taxes, public safety, transportation, local government and representation in Olympia will still be decided.
When we leave the ballot sitting on the counter because we believe our vote will not matter, the decision simply gets made by the people who did vote.
That is why voter participation in Washington State matters so much.
Not voting is not the same thing as voting “no.” It is not a protest vote. It does not register dissatisfaction with either candidate or either side of an issue. An unreturned ballot records no position at all.
In practical terms, the people who participate make the decision for everyone, including those who stayed home.
That should make every one of us stop and think.
If you disagree with the direction of government but do not vote, where did you register that disagreement?
If you believe a tax or levy is necessary, but do not vote, where did you register that support?
If you believe a levy costs too much, but do not return your ballot, where did you register your objection?
If you want different representation in Olympia, but do not vote for that representation, how will anyone know?
Your ballot is where your opinion becomes part of the official decision.
We Have Been Voteless for Too Long
Across Washington, people regularly complain about decisions coming out of Olympia. They talk about taxes, regulations, education, housing, transportation, public safety, energy costs and the challenges facing working families and small businesses.
Those conversations matter.
But conversation without participation has limits.
If we want government to listen to the people, then the people have to speak when the opportunity is placed directly in their hands.
For residents of Washington’s 24th Legislative District, that means voters in Clallam County, Jefferson County and northern Grays Harbor County need to participate.
Our communities are different from Seattle and the densely populated areas surrounding Puget Sound. Rural communities face different transportation needs, economic pressures, employment opportunities and access to services. Those concerns deserve a voice in Olympia.
But representation begins with participation.
Perhaps instead of saying we have been “voiceless,” we should recognize that too often we have allowed ourselves to become voteless.
Government does not become more representative because citizens complain about it afterward. It becomes more representative when citizens educate themselves, vote, communicate with elected officials and remain involved after Election Day.
Vote-by-Mail Is Still Voting
Washington votes by mail in every election. Registered voters automatically receive their ballots, and voters have time to research candidates and ballot measures before making their decisions.
That convenience should not make the ballot seem less important.
Think about what that envelope actually represents.
Inside are decisions about who may represent you on a city council, school board, county commission, in the Legislature, in Congress or in other public offices. Depending on the election, you may also be deciding whether a levy, tax, bond, initiative or other ballot measure becomes law or receives funding.
That is a remarkable amount of individual authority sitting inside one envelope.
Do not confuse convenience with insignificance.
Your vote-by-mail ballot carries the same responsibility as walking into a polling place and casting a ballot in person.
What If You Are Concerned About Election Integrity?
There is another reason some people give for not voting, particularly when discussing Washington’s vote-by-mail system:
“I don’t trust the election system.”
Concerns about election security, ballot handling, voter rolls or the possibility of voter fraud should not simply be dismissed. Citizens have every right to ask questions about how elections are conducted. In fact, asking questions, demanding transparency and expecting election laws to be followed are important parts of self-government.
But there is an important distinction between questioning the process and removing yourself from the process.
If you are concerned about election integrity, not returning your ballot does not fix the problem you are concerned about. It simply guarantees that your legitimate vote will not be included in the result.
Think about that for a moment.
If 100 people distrust the system and all 100 decide not to vote, they have not protected their voices. They have removed 100 legitimate votes from the election.
That does not make the election more representative. It makes those voters less represented.
The better response is participation.
Vote. Follow the instructions carefully. Sign your ballot. Return it through an official ballot drop box if that gives you greater confidence. Then use Washington’s ballot tracking system at VoteWA.gov to confirm that your ballot was received and accepted.
And do not stop there.
Learn how elections are conducted in your county. Ask your county auditor or elections office about ballot processing, signature verification and election observation. Pay attention to voter registration procedures. Become an election observer if opportunities are available. Ask questions when something does not make sense. If you encounter something you genuinely believe violates election law, document it and report it through the appropriate channels.
Election integrity should matter to everyone, regardless of political party.
But confidence in elections will not be strengthened by citizens abandoning them.
There is also an important difference between saying voter fraud is possible and claiming that fraud determined a particular election. Those are not the same statement. Specific allegations require specific evidence.
We should be willing to examine credible evidence when it exists, correct weaknesses when they are discovered and insist that election laws are enforced. At the same time, we should be equally careful not to allow rumors or unverified claims to convince legitimate voters that their ballots are pointless.
Because once again, the people who do vote will make the decision.
If you distrust the system, make your legitimate vote part of the record anyway.
Then watch the system.
Ask questions.
Demand transparency.
Hold election officials and lawmakers accountable.
But do not voluntarily surrender your ballot.
If anything, concern about election integrity should make us more engaged, more informed and more determined to participate, not less.
Your concerns deserve a voice.
So does your candidate.
So does your position on that levy or initiative.
And the only way your ballot can speak for you is if you return it.
HOW You Vote Now Matters Almost as Much as IF You Vote
There is another issue Washington voters need to understand before the next election: when and how you return your mail-in ballot matters.
Recent USPS operational and transportation changes have created an important distinction between the day USPS receives a piece of mail and the date that may ultimately appear on its postmark.
USPS explains that postmarks are generally applied at originating processing facilities. Because transportation operations have changed, some mail may not arrive at that processing facility on the same day it was collected by a carrier or dropped off at a postal location. That means the postmark date does not necessarily match the date you put the envelope into the mail.
That matters in Washington elections because mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.
The Washington Secretary of State now recommends mailing your ballot more than one week before Election Day. If you are within that final week, election officials recommend using an official ballot drop box instead.
An official ballot deposited in a Washington ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day is guaranteed to be on time.
That gives us a simple rule to remember:
Vote early. Return early. Verify your ballot was received.
If you prefer mailing your ballot, give it plenty of time.
If Election Day is approaching, use an official ballot drop box or return the ballot directly to your county elections office or voting center.
And if you must mail your ballot close to Election Day, Washington election officials say you can take it into your local post office and ask a USPS employee to hand-stamp the postmark.
Do not wait until Election Day, put your ballot into an ordinary mailbox and simply assume everything will work out.
Your vote is too important for assumptions.
Follow Your Ballot
Washington voters also have another useful tool: ballot tracking.
After returning your ballot, you can sign into VoteWA.gov and check its status. The system allows voters to see whether their ballot has been mailed, received, accepted or challenged.
Take advantage of it.
Voting should not end when you seal the envelope.
Return your ballot and then verify that it arrived and was accepted.
If there is a signature problem or another issue with your ballot, knowing about it gives you an opportunity to respond.
One Vote Is More Powerful Than No Vote
Will your individual ballot always determine an election by itself?
Of course not.
But that is not how representative government works.
Every election result is made up of individual people making individual choices.
Ten votes begin with one voter.
A hundred votes begin with individual voters.
Ten thousand votes are simply ten thousand people who decided that participating was more important than believing participation was pointless.
The phrase “my vote doesn’t count” becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy only when the ballot is never returned.
An uncast vote truly cannot count.
A returned vote can.
The Question We Should Be Asking
Instead of asking:
“Does my vote really matter?”
Perhaps we should ask:
“Am I willing to let everyone who does vote make this decision for me?”
Because the decision is going to be made.
Someone will hold the office.
The Legislature will convene.
Budgets will be adopted.
Taxes and regulations will be debated.
Levies and initiatives will pass or fail.
The question is whether your voice will be included in that decision.
Our communities cannot demand better representation while surrendering one of the most basic tools we have to influence who represents us.
We cannot complain that Olympia does not hear rural Washington while leaving our ballots unopened on the kitchen counter.
And we cannot expect government to understand what voters want when voters choose not to tell it.
So when your next ballot arrives, open it.
Read it.
Research the candidates.
Research the initiatives and levies.
Ask questions.
Make your decisions.
Sign your ballot envelope.
Return it early.
Then check VoteWA.gov and make sure it was received.
Your ballot is your voice. Use it.