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# More than 700,000 WA state voters have cast ballots
- URL: https://justabouts.com/more-than-700-000-wa-state-voters-have-cast-ballots/
- Published: 2026-10-25T04:34:45.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T06:32:20.000Z
- Description: Washington recorded more than 773,000 returned ballots by late afternoon Oct. 23. Includes updated figures and practical ballot-return information.
- Author: Justabouts
- Tags: News, #source-washington-state-standard

*This is an abridged republication of an Oct. 23 Washington State Standard report. The separately labeled Justabouts update below adds information from official records checked on Oct. 24.*

by Jerry Cornfield, [Washington State Standard](https://washingtonstatestandard.com/?ref=justabouts.com)  
October 23, 2026

Washington state voters are getting the message: Don’t wait to turn in your ballots.

## Justabouts update: Oct. 24

Washington’s official ballot-return dashboard recorded 773,792 returned ballots, or 15.00% of 5,157,868 registered voters, in its Oct. 23 update at 4:50 p.m. These later figures replace the earlier snapshot in the original report. Readers can check the [Secretary of State’s dashboard](https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/data-research/election-data-and-maps/ballot-return-statistics?ref=justabouts.com) for subsequent updates.

At the same point before the 2022 general election, 13.93% of registered voters had returned a ballot. Those figures measure ballot returns. The state’s [certified 2022 turnout](https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/data-research/election-data-and-maps/reports-data-and-statistics/general-election-turnout?ref=justabouts.com), based on counted ballots, was 63.82%.

For voters still deciding how to return a ballot, the Secretary of State [recommends mailing it more than a week before Election Day](https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters/helpful-information/frequently-asked-questions-voting-mail?ref=justabouts.com). An official ballot drop box is another option. Ballots returned through a drop box must be deposited by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3\. Voters can track their ballot through VoteWA. If a signature is missing or questioned, [state law directs the county auditor to notify the voter and explain how to correct the problem](https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=29A.60.165&ref=justabouts.com).

Residents can [watch ballot processing in Everett during the county’s Oct. 26 to 30 observation hours](https://justabouts.com/watch-snohomish-county-ballots-move-through-the-count-oct-26-30/).

The federal requests discussed in the original report also appear in a [TVW interview published Oct. 22](https://tvw.org/video/inside-olympia-countdown-to-november-3-election-2026101164/?ref=justabouts.com), in which Secretary of State Steve Hobbs described approximately 60 subpoenas. A [July 7 Justice Department letter](https://washingtonstatestandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/7.7.2026-Washington-Letter-and-Memo.pdf?ref=justabouts.com) warned about criminal penalties for specified knowing or willful conduct. The letter states the department’s legal position.

In its [Oct. 15 California complaint](https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1466286/dl?ref=justabouts.com), the Justice Department asked that flagged mail ballots be set aside pending citizenship verification. Its allegations about likely noncitizens are allegations in the lawsuit. The complaint itself does not establish that those people were ineligible or had cast ballots.

## From the original report

“We take our responsibility to protect voter information seriously and will only respond to requests that follow due process,” he said. “However, we see what’s happening in California and don’t want Washingtonians to be harassed.”

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown [has filed a legal brief](https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/wa-led-coalition-opposes-doj-s-frivolous-challenge-california-elections?ref=justabouts.com) opposing the federal government’s demand.

Hobbs and Brown put together [a guide to help election officials navigate ](https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2026-09/ElectionAdminAuthorityBooklet.pdf?ref=justabouts.com)the terrain.

*Additional links from the original report:* [*coverage of Washington’s 2022 Senate election*](https://www.axios.com/2022/11/09/murray-smiley-washington-senate-election-results?ref=justabouts.com)*;* [*Washington State Standard’s July 7 report on the Justice Department letter*](https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/07/07/doj-threatens-wa-election-officials-with-prosecution-if-noncitizens-vote/?ref=justabouts.com)*.*

[Washington State Standard](https://washingtonstatestandard.com/?ref=justabouts.com) is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor for questions: [info@washingtonstatestandard.com](mailto:info@washingtonstatestandard.com).

*Originally published by* [*Washington State Standard*](https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/10/23/more-than-600000-wa-state-voters-have-cast-ballots/?ref=justabouts.com) *on Oct. 23, 2026\. Republished under* [*CC BY-NC-ND 4.0*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/?ref=justabouts.com) *and the publisher’s* [*republishing guidelines*](https://washingtonstatestandard.com/republishing-guidelines/?ref=justabouts.com)*. Shortened by Justabouts, with minor house-style changes. The introduction and the section labeled “Justabouts update” were added by Justabouts.*