Civic Engagement, Elections, and Voting

To register to vote in the state of Washington, you must be: 

• A citizen of the United States
• A resident of Washington state
• At least 18 years old
• If you are 16 or 17, you can sign up as a Future Voter and be automatically registered to vote when you qualify
• Not disqualified from voting due to a court order
• 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.

Even if you are living outside of Washington State, you will retain your residency if you are:

• Employees in the civil or military service of the state or of the United States;
• Living overseas;
• Attending college or any institution of learning; or
• Confined in any public prison. 

For more information on voting residency, visit Residency Requirements. 

College students can either vote absentee in their home state or register to vote in WA if they have lived in WA for at least 30 days and have established a residential address in WA. As a student, you probably change your address more frequently than the average voter. Remember to update your voter registration every time you move. You can update your address online with VoteWA, by mail, or in person.  

Residential Address:

• Your residential address determines which candidates and measures will be on your ballot. This must be a Washington State address that you consider home. If you live on campus and provide a campus address as your residential address, be sure to list your dormitory and room number; a PO Box is not a residential address.

Mailing Address:

• Your mailing address is where your ballot will be mailed. It does not impact the ballot measures and candidates that will appear on your ballot. Your ballot can be sent to you anywhere in the world. For example, you may list your parents’ home as your residential address, but a PO Box at college as your mailing address.

 Out-of-State Students:

• You may register to vote in WA if you have a residential address in the state. Please note that Washington State residency requirements for voting are not the same as residency for in-state tuition purposes. You may vote in only one state. If you were previously registered in another state, cancel your registration in that state when you register in Washington.
• Voting in two places is a felony. You may only vote once; you may only vote in one county in one state. Keep this in mind when deciding if you want to list your home or school address for your voter registration. Should you receive two ballots, vote only once.

Online and mail registrations must be received 8 days before Election Day. You may still register to vote in-person during business hours at a county elections department and any time before 8:00 PM on Election Day.

 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 any of these, you may still register by mail or in person.

An ID is not required for mail-in registration, but you must provide one of the following documents on the form to verify residence: Driver's license number OR last four digits of Social Security number.

Before starting your letter, ask yourself the purpose of the letter.

• Are you writing a letter of support or asking for help?

• Are you asking this person to clarify their position?

• Are you asking this person to state their position on certain issue(s) or reveal their voting record on a certain issue(s)?

• Are you wishing to make this person aware of an issue that you have a specific view upon?

• Do you wish to inform this official about an issue and provide background, history, a specific situation etc.?

• Are you hoping to persuade this official to vote in a certain way or take a related action?

• Do you wish to make yourself known or build your reputation as a thoughtful person in order to be able to be consulted or assist someone more influential later about an issue?

• Are you requesting a meeting to discuss an issue or some matter of concern?

• Are wanting to inform this person that you are critical of their actions?

Once you establish your purpose, determine whom else, if any, needs to be carbon-copied on the letter.  For example, if you are writing a Governor about Clean Air violations in your city, does the Department of Natural Resources Director need to be copied?  Or do you need to copy your State Legislator on the issue and your City’s Mayor?

After you have that sorted out, you are ready to write your letter!

Letters to your representatives should usually be mailed to the representatives Washington/State House/Office address. While you can send physical mail to a representatives office, most will also provide an email form through their website or an email address.