With the primary elections approaching, King County Elections Director Julie Wise stopped by the Morning Update Show to remind everyone that ballots were mailed out today in King County and talk about the voting process and its importance.

Wise emphasized the importance of voting, saying that last year King County saw 87% voter turnout.

“It’s mind blowing. We’ve never seen anything like that in King County,” Wise said. “When you remove barriers, increase access, and make voting as easy as possible you’ll get people to show up.”

She said local elections are more important than most people realize, and that she hopes voters want to make their voices heard on issues which directly impact them like taxes.

“This is about your day to day life. This really impacts those hard earned dollars that you make,” Wise said. “We’re talking about cities, school, policing, all these important decisions are being made at the local level.”

According to Wise, the turnout for local elections is typically around 35%. In order to increase those numbers, her department has been working on creating accessibility and education around elections. She said making voting accessible and keeping elections secure aren’t mutually exclusive. 

“This is a proven, secure, accessible voting system that we’ve been doing for over 150 years,” Wise said. “It’s a bunch of BS that people say about it not being safe and secure.”

She also took aim at states with voter restriction laws, saying that such legislation is “disturbing” and something which saddens her. She was proud, however, that King County is moving in the opposite direction. 

Wise stressed the fact that the King County Elections Department is partnering with the USPS to provide extensive ballot tracking. Not only can voters track their ballot once they’ve sent it in and when it gets counted, but they can also log onto the election portal and track it as it makes its way to them. Wise encouraged all voters to take advantage of these features.

“Elections aren't a spectator sport. You are making a choice by not voting,” Wise said. “We can’t sit aside and allow a 35% turnout.”

One of the most heavily contested races is for the position of Seattle Mayor. With incumbent Jenny Durkan deciding not to run, the door is wide open for any and all candidates. Back in March, Wise said an intentional effort was being made to encourage more minority candidates to run. Now, five Black men are running for Mayor: Donaldson, Randall, Houston, Harrell and Rivers.

“We have the most diverse pool of candidates running for office,” Wise said. “More people of Color, more young people, more women. This is the time to get educated about those candidates and make a decision.”

She also hopes that having more candidates of Color encourages higher voter turnout. In March, she said that voters are often discouraged when there’s no representation on the ballot. Today, she called on the community to make their voices heard.

“We really need to get people to turn out,” Wise said. “We need to keep the momentum from 2020, that energy, drive and excitement to turn out at the ballot box.”

Wise said if you’re a registered voter expecting a ballot and haven’t received it by Monday July 19, you should call the department at 296-VOTE and request another. Ballots for the primary are due by August 3rd.