Thousands are Registered in Yakima County But They Won’t Vote

If you're a registered voter in Yakima County check your mailbox for your ballot. Yakima County Auditor Charles Ross says more than 126,000 ballots are arriving in mailboxes this week. Ross expects 30 percent to be returned to the auditors office by the day of the August 2 primary election.

Are you planning to vote in the upcoming election?

He says there's a number of reasons for that. Many people get busy during the summer months and just have no interest in voting. Others, says Ross have no intention of voting in any election even though they're a registered voter. He says thousands of people are added to the voter rolls by simply going through the process of getting an ID or drivers license. The state's motor voter law is an opt out law. In other words people are automatically added to voter rolls if they qualify and meet all the standards.

People need to opt out if they don't want to be a registered voter

A person must opt out by telling the Department of Licensing that they don't want to be a registered voter.
Ross says many people are automatically registered even though they have no intention of voting. That means the voter rolls grow while participation suffers and grows smaller every election season.

If you don't get your ballot by Monday take action

If you are an active voter and you haven't received your ballot by Monday, July 18 Ross says contact the Yakima County Auditors Office at 574-1340.

KIT candidate interviews start Friday, July 15 at 7:30 am. We'll be talking with Yakima County Commission District 3 candidate Steve Saunders and Kyle Curtis a candidate in the Yakima County Commission District 2 race.