Voter Registration Drives

Washington Secretary of State Guide to Registering Voters (PDF)

Voter Registrars


In the State of Washington anyone may conduct a voter registration drive. People who complete Voter Registration Forms during these efforts have an expectation they will be registered to vote in the next election.
It is essential that the registrar follow proper procedures to insure each person who completes a Voter Registration Form will be registered, if eligible.
  • Each registrar should insure he/she has the most current Voter Registration Form. (Frequently out of date forms do not include all the information necessary to register the applicant)
  • Forms must be returned to the Secretary of State or the Spokane County Elections Office within five (5) days of when they are signed
  • All required information must be entered by the applicant on the Voter Registration Form, unless the applicant is unable fill it out
Required Information
The following information is required in order to register the potential voter:
  • Name
  • Date of Birth
  • Residential Address - Business addresses or P.O. Boxes are not acceptable. If the registrant wants their ballot mailed to a different address they may enter a mailing address
  • Signature on the "Voter Declaration" section of the form
  • Citizenship and Age boxes must be checked
  • A phone number is not required but is helpful to the Elections Office should the voter need to be contacted (phone numbers are not part of the public record and will not be given out)
When registering a person to vote, your must:
  • Treat every person the same and ask each person the same questions.
  • Have the voter read and sign the oath.
  • Advise the voter if the deadline for voting in the next election has passed.
  • Not ask intimidating question regarding such issues as race, creed, religion, color, national origin, gender, disability or political affiliation (RCW 29A.04.205).
To prevent disenfranchisement of voters, completed forms must be returned to the Office of Secretary of State or County Auditor's Office within five days. (In King County, return them to the Records, Elections and Licensing Division.) They must be returned immediately if the 29-day voter registration deadline before an election has passed. Unused forms should be returned to the office from which they were issued.