Voting might soon be more convenient throughout King County, including for residents of Vashon.

The Metropolitan King County Council and King County Elections are working to expand the number of ballot drop-off locations in the area. Last week the council unanimously adopted a motion requesting that a plan be developed that will expand voter access while ensuring geographic equity and convenience for all voters.

“The foundation of our democracy is the right to vote — we are aiming to strengthen our democracy by ensuring more King County citizens have the ability to access that right,” Councilmember Rod Dembowski, the author of the legislation, said in a press release. “I believe this will be a significant step towards increasing voter participation by making voting more convenient for citizens throughout King County.”

In an interview last week, Nancy Standifer, a communications specialist with King County Elections, said it is not clear yet if Vashon will receive one of the boxes, but more should be known by the end of this year.

“Vashon is definitely on the wish list. It is part of the initial plan,” she said.

She noted that while the island does not currently have a ballot box, in the April 2015 election, when the Vashon Park District levy was on the ballot, a van pick up service came to Vashon to collect ballots. This allowed residents to forego purchasing a stamp and mailing the envelope.

The decision to install more ballot boxes comes at a time of markedly low voter turnout. Throughout the county, the number of ballot boxes and van pickup-services for ballots has been increasing, Standifer added, though voter turnout has been going down.

In the November election, only 40 percent of registered voters in King County cast ballots, though on Vashon the rate was 55 percent.

Election officials expressed disappointment about the low turnout rate at the time.

This effort, however, is about removing obstacles to voting, Standifer said.

“The bottom line is … its about access to the voters,” she said, adding, “It is always great if we can increase voter turnout.”

Following King County’s transition to an all-mail ballot system in 2008, the council approved a plan for regional voting centers as well as ballot drop boxes to ensure there were alternatives to placing the ballot in the mail. The adopted plan authorized the placement of 39 ballot drop boxes throughout the county, but budget reductions adopted as a result of an economic downturn resulted in a significant reduction in the number of ballot drop boxes actually implemented. Since then, the county has moved to restore drop boxes but has not yet deployed more than 25 ballot drop locations, some of which are provided by van service, such as the one that served Vashon in the spring.

“Voter turnout has been extremely low, and providing citizens the opportunity to have their voice heard through expanding additional ballot drop box locations may increase participation in the election process,” said Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, a co-sponsor of the motion.

“To give people a voice we have to make voting more accessible, and adding additional secure drop boxes is a good start to this goal,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn.

The adopted motion calls for King County Elections to send the council a plan to improve access to ballot drop-off locations throughout King County.

This plan is expected to include a proposed number and locations for additional drop-off boxes, estimated costs and an implementation timeline. It should also include analysis regarding using county libraries as ballot box locations. The plan is due to the council by April 30.