Bainbridge ballot drop box changes location

Published 4:25 pm Tuesday, January 19, 2016

The Bainbridge Island elections drop box has been moved to a new location for the Feb. 9 Special Election.

The 24-hour drop box outside the Bainbridge Island Fire Department’s Madison Avenue station has been moved to  the west side of the Bainbridge Island School District’s administration building at 8489 Madison Ave. NE.

Election officials said construction work at the Madison Avenue fire department property prompted the move.

“Because the fire department site became so well known as the island ballot drop site, we wanted to find a location that was as accessible, well known and, if possible, near the old site,” said Kyle Joyce, Kitsap County Elections Manager.

“We believe we succeeded on all three counts,” he said.

The new box location — a half-mile south of the former location — is next to the driveway on the west side of the school district’s administration building. Voters should be able to deposit their ballots from their driver’s side window.

On Feb. 9, Bainbridge voters will decide the fate of a $82.1 million bond measure, which if approved will be used to fund the replacement of Captain Johnson Blakely Elementary School and the BHS 100 Building. The bond measure will also pay for improvements and repairs at other district facilities. The proposal needs a 60 percent supermajority to pass.

The drop box will open for receiving ballots on Jan. 22 and will be available around the clock until 8 p.m. on Election Day, Feb. 9.

The drop-off spot next to the fire station has been a popular spot in past elections, according to county elections officials.

More than 4,000 Bainbridge voters took advantage of the drop box in the November 2015 General Election, about 44 percent of the votes received from the island.