The wait is over in Washington.

Washington’s 5.1 million registered voters are starting to cast ballots for the Nov. 3 general election, which could see Democrats strengthen their grip on power in the state Legislature and retake the majority from Republicans in Congress.

In theLegislature, where Democrats hold majorities in both chambers, all 98 seats in the state House and 24 of 49 in the state Senate are up for election. 

Five of the nine state Supreme Court seats will be filled, giving voters a rare opportunity to pick a majority of the bench.

And all 10 congressional seats are on ballots. The race for the 3rd District in southwest Washington is drawing national attention because the outcome could help decide which political party controls the chamber in 2027. And the winner of the 4th District will succeed Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, who is retiring.

The Washington State Standard is publishing its voter guide for the unusually active off-year election.

There are responses to our surveys from all candidates for the Supreme Court as well as for 34 of the most competitive legislative contests and those two races for U.S. House seats.

Readers will find short explainers of the three statewide initiatives dealing with Washington’s new income tax on high earners, parental rights of public school students and transgender students’ participation in school sports.

Several counties began mailing ballots last week, well ahead of the Oct. 16 deadline to do so. People have until Oct. 26 to register or update their address online. After that you can register at a county election office or voting center, including on Election Day.

State and county election officers are hoping voters will return their ballots, preferably by depositing them in one of Washington’s 594 designated drop boxes or casting them at one of 61 voting centers. 

They’re cautioning about relying on the U.S. Postal Service. A recent rule change by the postal service does not guarantee ballots sent through the mail will be postmarked on the day they are put in the mail box.

Ballots should be mailed at least a week before election day to ensure they’ll be counted. If mailing within a week of Nov. 3, go in-person and request a manual postmark at the counter.

If ballots are not postmarked on or before Election Day, they will not count. More than 20,000 cast in the August primary were rejected because they came in too late.

Voters can sign up at VoteWA.gov to track their ballot and confirm it is received and counted.

Meanwhile, in Snohomish County, where ballots went out Oct. 9, election officials are alerting voters that the word “General” is misspelled on the return envelope, and assuring them it is not a problem.

“This is a printing error only. Your ballot is still valid, and this typo does not affect how your ballot is processed or how your signature is verified,” reads a statement from the Snohomish County auditor. “You can complete and return your ballot as usual.”

This story is republished from the Washington State Standard, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet that provides original reporting, analysis and commentary on Washington state government and politics.