What to Expect from King County Elections – Results, Turnout, and More
Media partners,
As we are all hard at work in these final days of voting here in King County, we thought it may be helpful to provide you with some information about what you can expect from us through Election Week. We’ve been fielding lots of similar questions from outlets across the region and wanted to ensure that you have what you need from King County Elections to cover this important and bustling election.
When and where will King County Elections post results?
First, here are the links to where our results will be posted:
For those familiar with the look our results page, you’ll notice that it looks slightly different for this election than it normally does. We have built out a stripped down version – fewer graphics, a much simpler look - of our site to accommodate the large number of visitors we expect to see to view results without slowing our regular website down. If you use an old link, it will point you to this new page but may load slower. These are the official results links for King County Elections. The site is secured and monitored 24/7 for any suspicious activity and we expect it to work well for us tomorrow night.
The initial results report will be posted after 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3 (tomorrow). We generally look to have those results up by about 8:15 p.m. but please be patient as we will get them up as quickly as possible and it’s a big file this time around. If we encounter anything that makes us think it will be much later than that, we will post to social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram @kcelections). We will also post on all channels when King County’s results are live and up on our website. Immediately after loading to our website, we will also load our results into the Secretary of State’s site for statewide results posting. Please reach out to the Secretary of State’s Office directly if you have questions about their results reporting website or tools.
There will only be one round of results from King County on Election Night, the initial report posted according to the schedule above. Results will be updated at around 4 p.m. on weekdays through certification on November 24.
How many results will be included in Tuesday’s nights report?
We currently expect to be able to post results for approximately 1,000,000 ballots in Tuesday’s results.
With our projection set at 90% or about 1,300,000 ballots returned, that initial report will include a higher percentage of results than we normally expect to post. That is largely due to the early returns we’ve seen across the county and the long hours and weekends that our ballot processing staff have put in over the last few weeks to keep up with processing those early returns.
As usual, we expect to have the majority of vote counting wrapped up by Friday and will continue to count every eligible vote through certification.
When can you come to King County Elections headquarters to get footage or an interview?
Media is welcome to visit us tomorrow, of course, but we do ask that you schedule in advance as much as possible. In the current COVID-climate, we are trying to limit the number of media on the ballot processing floor at one time to ensure that there is ample space for our staff and our media partners to remain socially distanced in accordance with public health guidelines.
All media is required to wear a mask while on-site and will be temperature screened at our Election headquarters in Renton.
If you would like an on-camera interview, it is particularly important to schedule with as much advanced notice as possible.
What is the best time to capture footage at the King County Elections headquarters?
Our ballot processing teams start at around 6 a.m. on Election Day with our sort team and the other workgroups start coming in throughout the morning in waves. We can accommodate a limited number of crews for live shots from inside the facility at 6 a.m. but, again, will need to hear from you in advance.
Starting at 5 p.m. on Election Day, the ballot processing floor will begin to empty out with all workgroups out of the building by around 6 p.m. to get out to drop boxes to assist with line management and closing duties.
If you would like to shoot footage from the ballot processing floor, plan to come before 5 p.m. on Election Day.
After that time, we will still be operating the Vote Center in the parking lot of Elections headquarters and expect the drop box to see a steady line of cars through the 8 p.m. deadline. Footage from the parking is welcome and should provide a nice, busy visual as well.
Media is also welcome to use our live webcams from the ballot processing floor for coverage at any time.
Can we shoot footage or get an interview at a Vote Center?
You are welcome to shoot footage at any of our Vote Center locations. We do ask that you let us know before you arrive so we can give our team on-site a heads up. Our staff on-site is focused solely on serving the voters who come to see us and getting voters in and out of the Vote Center as quickly as possible.
Interview capacity at Vote Centers is limited and interview requests for a Vote Center location with no advanced notice will not be accommodated.
What does the rest of the week look like?
Our team will remain hard at work processing ballots through the end of this week. You are welcome to come to Elections headquarters on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday to capture more footage of ballot processing and for interviews as needed. Again, please schedule in advance as much as possible.
With early returns so high, has the official projection changed?
No, we do not adjust our official projection after voting has begun. We are projecting 90% turnout for this election – a record by far, beating the previous record of 85% set in 2012. 90% turnout equates to approximately 1,300,000 ballots returned out of our over 1,400,000 million registered voters.
It is entirely possible at this point that we will exceed that 90% turnout but ultimately, that is up to our voters. We, like you, will have to wait and see what returns look like on Election Day. We are prepared to pick up hundreds of thousands more ballots from drop boxes and we are ready to process every eligible ballot that is returned to us on time, including those with the on-time November 3 postmark per state law.
Who do I contact at King County Elections with a media request?
Contact information for Halei Watkins, Hannah Kurowski, and Kendall Hodson is below. We recommend including all three on any email requests and calling the media line at 206-477-4111 with questions or to get on the schedule. You will receive a faster response by including all three on emails and using that centralized phone line.
Halei Watkins – hawatkins@kingcounty.gov, 206-263-4096
Hannah Kurowski – hkurowski@kingcounty.gov, 206-263-8846
Kendall LeVan Hodson – kendall.levanhodson@kingcount.gov, 206-263-9706
Media Line – medialine.elections@kingcounty.gov, 206-477-4111
What are the most important things for voters to know at this point?
- If you have not voted yet, please drop your ballot in a drop box. There are 73 ballot drop boxes located around King County. Our drop boxes are secure and will close promptly at 8 p.m. on Election Day. It’s important to note that 8 p.m. means 8:00:00 p.m. – not 8:00:01 pm – and state law does not make exceptions for getting stuck in traffic or hitting a red light.
- Everyone in line at a drop box or a Vote Center by 8 p.m. sharp will be able to cast an on-time ballot. And, again, in line means in line – not walking to the line or within eyesight of the line or across the street from the line. We will have staff at every location to determine the official end of line. We urge voters not to wait until the last minute to get their ballot in. Drop it tonight or during the day tomorrow and save yourself the worry of rushing at the last minute.
- Our Vote Centers are open across King County to register voters, issue replacement ballots, and provide assistive devices for those with disabilities. There are no voting booths or voting machines and there is no reason for anyone who has received their ballot at home to come to a Vote Center. There is no ‘in person voting experience’ like we saw before the transition to vote-by-mail over ten years ago. If voters need assistance, they should absolutely come and see us. If they do not, we urge them to fill out their ballot at home and return it via drop box as soon as possible.
- All voters can track their ballot online to ensure it is counted. If there is an issue with the voter’s signature – for example, they forgot to sign or their signature does not match what’s on file – they will see it there. If there is an issue, they need to fill out and return a simple form by 4:30 p.m. on November 23 but, again, there’s no reason to wait.
- If voters have any questions, concerns, or help navigating the process, they should give us a call at 206-296-VOTE (8683) as soon as possible. Our phone lines will be open until 6 p.m. today (Monday) and 8 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday). Following Election Day, phones will be staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.
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