Were Washingtons military ballots timely issued?
All military ballots in Washington were issued in advance of state requirements. With one exception, all military ballots were also issued by October 8, 2004, the date requested by the Department of Justice in communications with the Secretary of State. The one exception involved Island County, which issued its ballots several days later (but still before the State law deadline). Due to the fact that the military base in Island County serves military personnel primarily reachable by airplane (that is, aircraft carrier pilots and personnel), no significant issues resulted from the timing of the issuance of these ballots. All military ballots properly returned were processed and counted. Washington State can control the initial issuance of ballots and the processing of returns. Unfortunately, however, Washington’s election officials have no control over the federal mail system or the distribution of Washington’s ballots by the military bases. The law does include special provisions to fa
