Voter registration deadline for Washington primary approaches as groups turn in initiative signatures

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click to enlarge Voter registration deadline for Washington primary approaches as groups turn in initiative signatures
If you plan to register to vote in Washington's August primary election the deadline for online and mail-in registration is Monday, July 9.

Barring that, in-person registration can still be done at your county elections office until July 30, and if you miss the deadline, you should contact your local election office for more information.

This week is also a busy week for statewide voter initiatives, which need to turn in signatures by July 6 to qualify for the November ballot. For this year, initiatives need at least 259,622 registered voter signatures to qualify, and the Washington Secretary of State's Office recommends the groups submit at least 325,000 to allow for invalid signatures.

On Monday, July 2, a coalition of environmental, tribal and business groups under the umbrella of Yes on 1631 submitted 370,000 signatures for Initiative 1631, which aims to fight climate change impacts and would "charge 'pollution fees' on sources of greenhouse gas pollutants and use the revenue to reduce pollution, promote renewable energy and address climate change impacts, under oversight of a public board."

The state started preparing those sheets to be counted immediately.

Another group that's been out collecting signatures is Yes! to Affordable Groceries (measure 1634), which is backed by major food companies and industry groups that want to prevent local governments from instituting taxes on things like sugary beverages and other items as the city of Seattle has done. That measure would "prohibit new or increased local taxes, fees or assessments on raw or processed foods or beverages (with exceptions), or ingredients thereof, unless effective by January 15, 2018, or generally applicable."

Groups have until 5 p.m. Friday to turn in their signature sheets.

For other important election dates, Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman tweeted a chart showing upcoming deadlines:

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