King County Elections Returns To Renton

Patch is committed to providing you, our readers, with the latest and most comprehensive election coverage. The season has just begun; however, here's some election news that's a little out of the ordinary:

On Wednesday, June 15 King County Elections will move its largest piece of equipment — a Pitney Bowes machine — from its current location in Tukwila to its new (and former) office in Renton at 919 Southwest Grady Way.

The multi-purpose machine scans ballot signatures, sorts ballots into geographic districts, and essentially opens every ballot envelope received by the King County Elections office.

It is all part of the department’s relocation to its former headquarters in Renton. The equipment will be moved via crane and installed in Renton sometime between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. 

The King County Elections office in Renton will re-open on June 20.

"As we prepare for the August primary, it's great to be back in our home facility with space that fully accommodates our state-of-the-art equipment and technology," said Elections Director Sherril Huff in a news statement. "It also offers convenience for the public to visit and observe the election process. We hope to have lots of visitors stop in for a tour during our upcoming elections!"

King County Elections temporarily moved from Renton to Tukwila in 2009 following a risk of flooding from the Howard Hansen dam.