First all-mail vote; ballots on the way

Absentee ballots for the viaduct election will begin arriving in Seattle voters' mailboxes Thursday.

For this, the city's first all-mail election, there will be no polling places. All ballots must be postmarked by March 13.

If you don't get your ballot by March 2, call the King County Elections Office at 206-296-VOTE (8683). You can also request a ballot in person through March 13 at the elections office, 500 Fourth Ave., Suite 553, Seattle.

If you live in Seattle and want to vote in this election but are not registered, you have until Feb. 26 to do so in person at the office. The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays; for the weeks leading up to March 13, it will be open Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To check whether you are registered, call 206-296-VOTE (8683) or visit www.metrokc.gov/elections/pollingplace/voterlookup.aspx.

Mailing in your ballot requires a first-class stamp. If you prefer, you can drop off your ballot at the elections office and four other locations.

The four other sites are: High Point Community Center, 6920 34th Avenue S.W.; Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Avenue S.; North Seattle Community College, 9600 College Way N.; Interbay Evangelical Covenant Church, 3233 15th Avenue W

These four all share the same drop-off dates and times: March 8-9 and 12-13 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and on Saturday, March 10, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Voters with disabilities can use accessible voting machines at the King County Elections Office from Wednesday through March 13.

Voter pamphlets are expected to be mailed to all Seattle voters' homes Tuesday .

Here are some tips to make sure your ballot moves smoothly through the counting process after you mail it in:

• Sign the return envelope, not the ballot. Your ballot will not be counted if there are any identifying marks on it.

• Avoid making stray marks on your ballot.

Election workers will have to remove your ballot from the pile and spend time duplicating it so that vote-counting machines can read your votes.

• No matter how you feel about the issue, don't write comments on your ballot.

Controversial issues such as the monorail and the pick-a-party primary have inspired people to write opinions on their ballots.

That causes problems for the vote-counting machines, too. Those ballots must be duplicated by election workers, which slows down ballot counting.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com