August Primary: Notice from Auditor's Office

Notice of August 1, 2017, Primary Election

Registration Deadlines: 
Monday, July 3, is the deadline for mail-in registrations or address changes to be eligible to vote in the August 1 Primary Election. July 3 is also the deadline for online registrations or address changes at www.myvote.wa.gov.

Voters can continue to register in-person until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, July 24, at the Whatcom County Auditor's Office (311 Grand Avenue, Suite 103, Bellingham). 

The election will be conducted entirely by mail and ballots will be mailed only to the following precincts: 124, 125, 130, 135, 136, 139-183, 201-269, 301-304, 401, 402, 601-611, 701, and 801.

Voters Requiring Assistance & Other Information:
Voting assistance for elderly and disabled individuals is available at the Whatcom County Auditor's Office or call 360-778-5102. Election and voter registration information, registration forms, and election ballots are also available at the Auditor's Office.

Voters' Pamphlet:
For a listing of candidates and the Fire Protection District 16 ballot measure, refer to the Whatcom County Auditor's website at www.whatcomcounty.us/auditor to view the online voters' guide. Voters' pamphlets will be mailed to household addresses and available at the Auditor's Office beginning July 12. 

Meeting Dates & Times:
Open public meetings for the August 1 Primary Election will be held on the dates and times listed below, at the Whatcom County Courthouse (311 Grand Avenue, Suite 103, Bellingham). Meeting dates, times, and/or locations are subject to change. 

  • July 11: Logic & Accuracy Test of the Accessible Voting Units (10:00 a.m.)
  • July 12 - August 14: Processing of Ballots (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
  • July 27: Logic & Accuracy Test of the 400C Optical Scan Readers (2:00 p.m.)
  • August 10: Canvassing Board Meeting/Review Challenged Ballots (2:00 p.m., Auditor's Office Conference Room)
  • August 15: Canvassing Board Meeting/Certification of Election (3:00 p.m., Auditor's Office Conference Room)

Dated June 22, 2017
Issued by Debbie Adelstein, Whatcom County Auditor and Ex-Officio Supervisor of Elections

Our Recommendation regarding I-1552

The League of Women Voters of Washington is strongly recommending that voters NOT sign I-1552, an initiative that will rollback non-discrimination protections for transgender Washingtonians.

“We usually wait until initiatives make it to the ballot before making a recommendation,” says Kathy Sakahara, Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Washington. “But initiatives and bills like I-1552 increase dangerous rhetoric which can lead to hate crimes and violence against LGBTQ people. Regardless of whether it’s approved by voters, the anti-transgender fear mongering accompanying I-1552 can lead to real harm, especially to transgender and gender non-conforming people students who already face higher rates of bullying, harassment and violence.”

See our complete statement here.  Find more information about No on I-1522 here.

Event Recap March 18: Solar Power

The audio recording of this event will be coming soon! 

Meanwhile, we had a full house and a full program! Too many questions at the end and not enough time. Attendees gave detailed feedback, noting the excellence of the combination of speakers and the valuable opportunity to know local leaders and learn a deeper sense of context. Several were surprised at the number of renewable energy businesses in our community and the jobs they provide. 

We hope you're looking forward to catching up via the recording, and we will have some of the speakers' informative slide presentations available soon as well.