20,000 mail-in ballots rejected in Washington's August primary
September 7, 2026
By Caleb Stipkovits, AV News Now
New data released by Washington state officials shows that 20,267 ballots in the August primary election were rejected for being postmarked too late. That number is up around 32% from the 2024 primary election, which saw 16,131 votes turned away.
"I was a little sad to hear that," Julie Mabry said, a Pasco resident. " I realized that your mail that goes from here has to go to Spokane and back. So if you mail it last minute, it's not going to be postmarked in time."
The number of mail-in ballots that didn't count especially increased in central and southeast Washington.
In Benton County, 758 ballots were rejected. That means if you voted by mail, there was a 6% chance that your vote wasn't counted. Walla Walla County had similar numbers, with around 7.4% of mail-in votes not counted.
The highest rate of rejection in the state was in Yakima County. If you voted by mail, there was a 9% chance your vote did not count.
State officials believe that the trend is being caused by new federal restrictions on mail-in voting.
"[Over] the last couple weeks, the US Postal Service is trying to do everything they can to ruin vote by mail in the state of Washington," Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said.
State leaders argue that new mail-in voting restrictions, both from near the beginning of 2026 and two weeks ago, have contributed to the increase in rejected ballots. Officials believe that trend will follow in the midterm elections and beyond if nothing is done.
On the other hand, officials from President Trump's administration argue that restrictions are needed to combat voter fraud, and to ensure that only Americans are electing leaders
Local residents explained that they're choosing to vote by ballot box instead of by mail, in case if the trend continues.
"I know [ballots are] picked up every day, so they don't need a postmark, they'll get there to the courthouse to be counted," Mabry said. "I need my vote to count."
Apple Valley News Now has reached out to the United States Postal Service for comment. As of this Labor Day, we are still waiting for a response.