Stevens County Clarifies Information on Five New Ballot Drop Boxes

Stevens County Auditor Lori Larsen announced on Oct. 14 that a labeling mix-up has been identified on five newly-installed ballot drop boxes throughout Stevens County. Although the boxes mistakenly display the name and contact information for Whitman County Elections, Larsen said each is an official Stevens County ballot drop box. Ballots deposited in these boxes will be collected and processed by Stevens County elections staff under normal election procedures, according to Larsen.

Between the August primary election and early October, the Stevens County Auditor’s Office stated that five additional ballot drop boxes were installed in Clayton, Valley, Addy, Marcus, and Kettle Falls to improve voter access across the county. During the first week of October, Larsen said a sign company previously used by the auditor’s office was contracted to apply branded vinyl wrapping to the newly installed boxes. She said when elections staff visited the locations to open the boxes for the Nov. 3 General Election, they discovered that the wrapping identified them as Whitman County ballot drop boxes.

Upon discovering the labeling discrepancy, Larsen said her office immediately contacted the sign company responsible for applying the vinyl wrapping. The company has committed to correcting the labeling immediately, perhaps even before ballots arrive in voter mailboxes. “These are official Stevens County ballot drop boxes, regardless of what the exterior labeling currently says,” Larsen said. “They will be serviced by Stevens County elections personnel, and all ballots deposited in these boxes will be collected and processed through our normal election procedures.”

According to the auditor’s office, in addition to the five newly-installed locations, Stevens County voters may continue to use the seven existing ballot drop box locations in Northport, Chewelah, Springdale, Loon Lake, Nine Mile Falls, Wellpinit, and at the Stevens County Courthouse in Colville. With these additions, Stevens County offers 12 ballot drop box locations throughout the county. “We are pleased to offer voters additional convenient locations to return their ballots,” Larsen added. “Our goal is to make voting accessible, secure, and straightforward for every eligible Stevens County voter. We appreciate the public’s understanding as we work to correct this labeling mix-up.” For a list of the ballot drop box located in Stevens County, visit VoteWA.gov.