Bellevue Voters: Ballots Are Due in a Drop Box by 8 p.m. Tuesday
Washington votes by mail, and Bellevue voters have until 8 p.m. sharp on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, to get a signed ballot into an official drop box.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, and for Bellevue voters the most important fact is also the simplest: Washington votes by mail. Every registered voter was mailed a ballot, and no stamp is needed to return it by mail. A ballot returned by mail must be postmarked by Nov. 3, while a ballot returned in person must be in an official drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
King County Elections runs Bellevue's election, and its drop boxes close at 8 p.m. sharp. That deadline is not a guideline. A ballot placed in a drop box after the close cannot be counted for this election, so voters who are waiting until Tuesday evening should build in travel time, traffic on corridors such as Interstate 405 and Interstate 90, and the possibility of a line at a busy location.
Before sealing the return envelope, sign it. The signature on the envelope is part of how an elections office matches a returned ballot to a registered voter, and a missing signature is one of the most avoidable reasons a ballot can be held up. Follow the instructions that came with the ballot, use the envelope provided, and keep the ballot itself free of extra marks outside the voting targets.
Voters who have not registered, who have moved, or who need to update their registration can still do so in person at a county vote center through 8 p.m. on Election Day. That in-person option also matters for voters who never received a ballot, lost one, or made a mistake and need help understanding their options before the deadline rather than after it.
This year's ballots include U.S. House races, state legislative races, state Supreme Court seats and statewide initiatives, alongside county and local questions that vary by address. Voters can check the status of a returned ballot at VoteWA.gov. Bellevue Eastside News will follow King County Elections results reporting after polls close, and will clearly separate counted results from ballots still being processed.
