Voter Registration

Registration Eligibility and Documents

Information to register as a voter in Washington state:

To be eligible to vote in Washington you must:

• be a citizen of the United States;
• be at least 18 years old by Election Day;
• have lived in Washington state for at least 30 days before Election Day;
• not be disqualified from voting due to a court order; and
• not be under Department of Corrections supervision for a Washington state felony conviction.

You will need the following information/documents:

• First and last legal name
• Date of birth
• Residential address (and mailing address, if different)
  
  And either:
  • A Washington state driver’s license, permit or ID number (for online registration form)
    OR
  • the last 4 digits of your social security number (for paper registration form).

**If you are 16 or 17 you can sign up as a future voter by completing the same online or paper voter registration form linked below, and you will automatically be registered to vote on your 18th birthday. Click here to learn more about the WA Future Voter Program.

Information to register as a voter in another state:

Voter eligibility and processes vary by state.

• Click HERE for more information about voter eligibility in your home state.

Register to Vote in Washington State

As a student attending college in Washington state, you are eligible to vote in WA elections. If you attend college in WA and have been living in the state for at least 30 days prior to Election Day, you are eligible to vote. If you live in an on campus residence hall, you are able to use that as your official voter residency address. 

If you are registered to vote in another state, you can still register to vote in Washington state and then cancel your registration in your home state. You CANNOT vote simultaneously in both states. Each state has specific laws about “double voting” (which you can read here). Washington state explicitly prohibits people from voting in more than one state.

• Click HERE to register online to vote in Washington.
• Click HERE to print out a Washington Voter Registration Form, which you will need to mail in.
• Click HERE to see Washington Voter Registration deadlines.

Voting by mail:

All Washington state-registered voters will automatically receive their ballot in the mail about two weeks before Election Day. Postage is prepaid so you do not have to pay to mail your ballot in. Voters must have their ballots postmarked by Election Day or have until 8 p.m. on Election Day to drop their ballot off in a designated ballot drop box.

• Click HERE to find the closest ballot drop box to you. If you live on or near campus there is a ballot drop box on Seattle Central’s campus on Broadway.

Register to Vote in Another State

You may choose to register to vote in your home state.

• Click HERE to register online to vote in your home state.
• Click HERE to view the voter registration deadlines by state.

Special notes about voting in your home state while living in Washington state:

To vote in your home state while you are living in Washington state for school, you can vote by absentee (mail-in) voting. Every state has different laws pertaining to absentee voting which you can read more about here.

Make sure to change your MAILING address to your Washington state address. DO NOT change your permanent address. Your ballot mailing address can be different (in another state) than your residency address.

Information About Ballot Initiatives and Candidates

There are many voter guides out there. We have identified a few nonpartisan resources here:

• On Ballotpedia you can input your address and it will generate a sample ballot where you can see the list of candidates that will be on your ballot and click on candidates to read their biography and find more information.
• VOTE411 with the League of Women Voters also provides personalized voting information.
• Find out what’s on the ballot in King County.

Additional Resources

Need a paper form but don’t have access to a printer? Need an envelope and postage to mail in your Voter Registration Form? Email the Civic Engagement Chair at sgsucivicengage@joe-yan.net for materials and resources.

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission Voter FAQs
• Voting in College FAQs
• Student Voting Guide
• King County Voter Education Videos
• Seattle League of Women Voters Resources
• Washington Voter Information
• Washington Bus Voter Registration Information
• Rock the Vote- Voting in Washington Information

If you have questions or require more resources, contact SGSU’s Civic Engagement Chair at sgsucivicengage@joe-yan.net.