OLYMPIA — The Washington Secretary of State’s office discovered Friday that automatic voter registrations were not processed in Ferry and Stevens counties for more than a year, potentially leaving nearly 1,000 eligible voters unregistered just days before the election.
The processing error affected 6,783 total applicants between July 16, 2024, and Oct. 31, 2025. While many of these applicants were already registered voters, 924 eligible voters with unprocessed applications may still be unregistered, according to the Office of the Secretary of State.
An automatic voter registration is submitted when a person applying for state government services provides proof of citizenship. Each application still requires review by county election administrators.
The Secretary of State’s Elections Division discovered the backlog after receiving a concern from a voter. Officials then audited voter registrations received from the Department of Licensing and found the administrative error had created a backlog of automatic voter registrations in both counties.
The issue has been resolved and both counties are now processing automatic voter registrations. The Secretary of State’s office said it is working with county elections partners to prevent similar administrative errors in the future.
Officials recommend that voters who have not received their ballot visit their county elections office. Voters can obtain a replacement ballot or register to vote in person at their county elections office until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Voters can confirm their registration status at any time at VoteWA.gov.
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