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Voting & Elections Toolkits: Voter Registration in Washington

Voting and advocacy resources by librarians for librarians

Eligibility

  • Age: At least 18 before Election Day. If you are 16 or 17, you can sign up as a Future Voter and automatically be registered to vote when you qualify.
  • Not currently serving a sentence of total confinement in prison under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections for a Washington felony conviction
  • Not currently incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction
    • Effective January 1st, 2022, if you were convicted of a felony in Washington State, another state, or in federal court, your right to vote will be restored automatically as long as you are not currently serving a sentence of total confinement in prison.

  • Not disqualified from voting due to a court order
  • Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen
  • Residence: A legal resident of Washington State
  • College students can either vote absentee in their home state or register to vote in WA if they have established a residential address in WA. They can only vote in one state.
  • Check to see if you are already registered.

For more information, please visit the Washington Secretary of State website.

Deadline

  • Voter registration deadlines are determined by the date of the election.
  • Online and mail registration must be received 8 days before Election Day.
  • Register to vote in person during business hours at a county elections department and any time before 8:00 PM on Election Day.
  • Election Calendar

Registration Forms

Online registration

To use the online voter registration system you will need a current Washington State driver's license, permit or ID card. If you do not have a Washington State driver's license, permit, or ID card, you may use the last 4 digits of your Social Security number to register. If you do not have any of these, you may still register by mail or in person.

Online registration portal.

Mail-in registration

Printable forms in a variety of languages.

Updating or Canceling Registration

Updating registration      

To update registration after a move or name change use the voter registration form.

Cancelling registration

You may voluntarily cancel your Washington State voter registration by completing this form and returning it to your county elections department.

Disclaimer

Librarians from the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT), a Round Table of the American Library Association (ALA), created these reference guides. These guides are intended for informational purposes only and are not in any way intended to be legal advice.

If you have questions or feedback to share about these guides, we encourage you to CONTACT US.

These guides are designated with a Creative Commons license and re-use and modification for educational purposes is encouraged.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.