Sit in as Jeff Slakey interviews the Mason County Auditor, Steve Duenkel, and Elections Administrator, Marie Stevenson, with a conversation about the various aspects of election management, security, and voter engagement in Mason County.

Planning began in December 2023 to ensure a smooth, transparent, and stress-free election in 2024. Steve explains their efforts to cover every aspect of the election, from physical and personnel security to ballot processing.

Marie Stevenson, as the Elections Administrator, oversees the entire process, from creating the ballots to ensuring accurate voter records and getting ballots printed and mailed. She talks about the detailed procedure of creating a ballot, starting from gathering measures from districts, organizing candidate filings, and maintaining updated voter records.
As of Friday, there are 44,208 active registered voters, and they expect that number to continue growing as the elections get closer. Steve says the increase in interest is centered around the presidential election, but both emphasize that every election is important.

Ballots will be mailed out starting October 8th, and there are a few different ways to return them, such as secure drop boxes, mailing, or delivering them in person. For voters who cannot use a standard paper ballot due to visual or physical impairments, the county provides large print ballots or utilizes accessible voting units with features like touchscreen interfaces and sip-and-puff devices.

Steve explains the physical and electronic security measures in place to safeguard the tabulation system, including a secure room with a Faraday cage to prevent electronic interference and constant video surveillance. Once ballots are received and validated, they are scanned, and the images are stored securely. The tabulation process is then handled by a system that reads and tallies votes based on a secure configuration. Results are transferred via a specially secured thumb drive, uploaded to the voter registration database, and reported to the Secretary of State's office. This ensures that results are accurately transmitted, tracked, and made available to the public.

The 2024 ballot will be double-sided to accommodate numerous races, including presidential, gubernatorial, congressional, and judicial elections, as well as local races for county commissioners and Public Utility Districts (PUDs).

Steve also addresses concerns about the voter pamphlets, explaining since 2021, Mason County has been required to publish a primary voters’ pamphlet, but starting in 2026, they will integrate both county and statewide information into a single document. This change aims to reduce confusion and improve accessibility without imposing additional costs on local districts, as they plan to work with the Secretary of State to receive reimbursement.

Here are the basic voter eligibility requirements in Washington: a voter must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, and not currently serving time for a felony conviction.