| Ballots found in out-of-service mailboxes Thirty-seven ballots cast by voters in Pierce County in the general election in November were discovered in out-of-service Postal Service mail boxes after vote-counting began but have been included in the final results. |
| Under state law, the ballots had to be counted because they had signature dates on or before the official election day of Nov. 7. All but two of the ballots had Lakewood-area addresses. They change the outcome of any ballot measures or races for office, election officials said. |
| “While it’s normal for ballots to trickle in for days, sometimes weeks after the election, it’s unusual to see something like this,” said Pierce County Auditor Linda Farmer, who oversees elections in the county. “The Postal Service is a critical partner in the voting process and we trust that they will have the issue of out-of-service mailboxes cleared up in time for the next election.” |
| Voters can mail their ballots or deposit them in official dropboxes. |
