Speakers encourage voters to cast their ballots early
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, October 20, 2026
PORT TOWNSEND — Hundreds gathered on a blustery Saturday afternoon to cast their ballots and celebrate the power of voting.
The Vote Early event was sponsored by Indivisible Port Townsend and part of a nationwide No Kings action encouraging people to vote in an election that has the potential to flip both houses of Congress at the federal level.
In Washington, five seats on the state Supreme Court will be decided this November, plus three statewide initiatives. All state House seats are up for grabs, as are about half of the state Senate seats.
Nearly 80 percent of registered Washingtonians cast their ballots in the 2024 general election, compared to just under 40 percent last year, following a typical pattern wherein turnout jumps substantially during presidential elections and, to a lesser extent, during midterms.
The midterms are an opportunity to weigh in on the direction of the country.
“A lot of demonstrations, a lot of parades, a lot of things have been going on in the last couple of years,” said state Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Port Townsend, who spoke to the crowd on Saturday. “But now we’re down to it. We’re down to the vote, and that is the most important thing.”
Angela Gyurko addressed concerns about voter fraud by speaking directly to her experience as an election observer with the League of Women voters.
“It is the most fascinating, boring thing you could ever do with five hours of your life,” Gyurko said. “I have literally watched every step of the process.”
In six years as an election observer, Gyurko — who serves as the secretary on the state League of Women Voters’ board of trustees — said she has seen ballot boxes emptied, ballots sorted into bins and signatures checked and double checked, with election staff always working in teams of two.
“It is strangely cool to watch if you’re a democracy geek,” she said, adding that “vote counting is an intensely regulation-driven process.”
Following the speeches, attendees at the rally made their way to the ballot drop box behind the Jefferson County courthouse, led by Tharinger and County Commissioner Heather Dudley-Nollette, as well as a procession of demonstrators who donned handmaid costumes inspired by Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Bruce Cowan, an organizer with Indivisible, estimated that about 300 people lined up to cast their votes. He said organizers counted about 900 people at the rally.
Caroline Wildflower, who attended Saturday’s event, said she tries to go to most No Kings rallies. She liked the idea of centering this one on voting.
“I think having the idea that we go ahead and put our votes in now, and we know that our votes are there and getting counted and aren’t stuck in the mail somewhere — I think that was a great idea for this rally,” Wildflower said.
More than 20,000 mail-in ballots in Washington’s primary election were rejected this year due to late post-marking. Election officials are encouraging voters to cast ballots earlier this year, ideally a week before election day for mail-in ballots.
Wildflower said one of her main concerns is making sure everybody has the opportunity to vote.
Speaking to the crowd, Cowan introduced Indivisible’s new Rapid Response Team, designed to mobilize if someone witnesses any interference or intimidation at polling places.
“We hope that everything goes well with this election, but we want to be ready to mobilize in case something somewhere goes sideways,” he said.
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Reporter Christy Carley can be reached by email at christy.carley@peninsuladailynews.com.