Personal voter guides available online

By Evan Smith

Voters in Shoreline, Lake Forest Park and around King County and the rest of Washington state can read personal voters’ guides for the November 8 election online.

Voters can get the online voter guides now, rather than wait until after the Secretary of State’s office mails state voters’ pamphlets by bulk mail from Olympia October 8 and King County sends local voters’ pamphlets from Renton a few days later.

While the mailed pamphlets will have information on contests from all over King County, online guides are individualized for each voter.

So instead of looking at information for 17 legislative districts in a pamphlet of many pages, a voter in Shoreline would find material only about the 32nd Legislative District along with other items on his or her ballot, while a voter in Lake Forest Park would find material about the 46th Legislative District.

Every voter can find a personalized state voters’ guide by logging in here

Then the voter enters his or her name and date of birth, being careful not to leave space before or after the first or last name.

• Next, the voter needs to click on “Voters’ Guide.”
• Then, by clicking on “Measures,” the voter will find material about 10 statewide measures;
• by clicking on “Federal Candidates,” the voter will find material about the presidential candidates, U.S. Senate candidates and the 7th Congressional District candidates,
• by clicking on “Statewide Candidates,” the voter will find information about candidates for governor and eight other statewide offices,
• by clicking on “Legislative Candidates," the voter will find information on candidates for the two positions in the correct legislative district, and
• by clicking on “Judicial candidates,” the voter will find material on three State Supreme Court contests one appeals court position and six King County Superior Court elections.

King County voters can find the same candidates and measures plus local ballot measures here. Each voter enters his or her name and either birth date or address before clicking on “Create my guide.”
The state elections office and King County elections office send pamphlets by bulk mail to all residential addresses.

Ballots go to registered voters by a faster form of mail Oct. 20.

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.