This week, Snohomish County Elections will mail ballots to 495,000 registered voters for the Nov. 2 general election. A total of 8,000 ballots were sent to military and overseas voters on Sep. 17. and 4,000 ballots were mailed to rural and temporarily out-of-state voters on Oct. 8.  Every household will also receive separate state and local voters’ pamphlets.

“On Nov. 2 we will elect over 170 local community members to serve on the Snohomish County Council, local city and town councils, and other important local boards, commissions, and offices. Typically, in odd-year elections less than half of the eligible voting population casts their ballot. I know we can do better,” said County Auditor Garth Fell.

The City of Lynnwood will choose a new mayor and three city councilmembers. To learn more about the candidates, you can watch our virtual debates, co-sponsored by Lynnwood Today and the Lynnwood Chamber of Commerce. They include Position 1 candidates Shirley Sutton and Nick Coehlo and Position 2 candidates Patrick Decker and Naz Lashgari, plus our interview with Position 3 candidate Lisa Utter at this link. And you can watch the debate between mayoral candidates Christine Frizzell and Jim Smith here.

Voters in Lynnwood and unincorporated areas (depending on address) will also be deciding on the following races:

Alderwood Water and Wastewater District Commissioner Position 2 incumbent Donna Cross vs. challenger Patrick Leonetti

Edmonds School District Board of Directors District 3 Melissa Step vs. Keith Smith (replacing longtime school board member Ann McMurray, who is retiring) and Deborah Kilgore, District 4, running unopposed.

Public Hospital District 2 Commissioner Position 2 candidates Carolyn Brennan vs. Rico Tessandore and Position 5 incumbent Jim Distelhorst vs. challenger Anita Shad.

South Snohomish County Fire and Rescue Commissioners Position-at-Large 6 Derek Daniels vs. Maya Ojalehto and Position-at-Large 7  incumbent David Chan vs. challenger Rashawn Smith.

In addition to our own stories on many of these races — found on our Election 2021 page — you can read more about all candidate in the local voters pamphlet here.

Voters can register or update an existing registration online at www.votewa.gov or by mail through Monday, Oct. 25.  After Oct. 25, voters can continue to register or make updates as well as vote in-person until 8 p.m. on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 2, at the county auditor’s office in Everett or at an accessible voting site.

Voters are encouraged to return their voted ballot early. By returning ballots early, voters can ensure their vote will be included in the first results released on election night. Several options are available for returning a ballot – through a ballot drop box, at an accessible voting site, or by mail (postage paid).

Voters returning their ballot through the mail should check the last collection time on the postal box to ensure their ballot will be postmarked no later than Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2. The U.S. Postal Service recommends voters return their ballot a few days before Election Day to ensure timely postmarks. By law, ballots postmarked after Election Day cannot be counted.

When in doubt, use one of 32 conveniently located ballot drop boxes across the county. Locations are listed on an insert mailed with every ballot, in the local voters’ pamphlet, and on the Snohomish County Elections website at www.snoco.org/elections. Drop boxes are open 24-hours a day until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Snohomish County Elections has accessible voting equipment for voters with disabilities and offers voter registration and ballot issuance at the following sites during the hours listed:

Voters who have not received a ballot by Oct. 23 should call 425-388-3444. For more information, visitwww.snoco.org/elections or contact Snohomish County Elections at elections@snoco.org.