EVERETT, Wash. Snohomish County election officials are reassuring voters after a printing error misspelled the word \"General\" as \"Genereal\" on ballot return envelopes for the Nov. 3 General Election, FOX 13 Seattle reported.
Community members noticed the typo over the weekend in the upper corner of the return envelope. County Auditor Garth Fell called the mistake frustrating and said the office had received a few calls and seen people commenting about it on social media.
Fell confirmed the typo was a printing error that occurred during the variable data spraying process just before envelope insertion. He stressed that every issued ballot remains completely valid, telling FOX 13 that voters can send their ballots back and they will be accepted and counted just like any other ballot.
The Auditor's Office has already corrected the printing data for any remaining ballot packets left to be mailed and is revising its proofreading procedures to prevent similar errors in future election cycles.
More than 6,000 ballots have already been returned in the county, which mailed ballot packets a week earlier than in previous cycles after postal delivery route changes slowed mail in recent years. Fell said the goal was to give voters plenty of time to receive their ballot and consider the important races, and he called the early participation encouraging.
Voter Steve Probstfeld, 80, told FOX 13 he made returning his ballot early to an official drop box a top priority and did not let the typo bother him, saying he does not think a typo should be restrictive.
Once returned, every ballot goes through a multi-step verification process, and voters can track their ballot in real time through VoteWA.gov or by signing up for text alerts. Officials expect average turnout of around 65 percent and encourage voters to act early. Anyone whose ballot has not arrived can contact Snohomish County Elections at 425-388-3444.