Trust us, Pierce County voters. For 13 years, we both have helped secure your ballots

Local elections have an important and immediate impact on your community and its future.

Many people believe that federal elections are the most impactful on how we are represented, but the reality is that your local elected officials have a more direct impact on your immediate community and the dollars spent there.

Local office holders live among us and understand our needs on a much more personal level than federal officials.

At a time when people are concerned about election security, we would like to help you understand your election process.

Both of us are proud to have worked as extra hires for Pierce County Elections in the county Auditor’s Office for 13 years each. We are local community members, as the majority of election workers are.

We have watched the amazing changes over the years in both streamlining the entire election process as well as ensuring ballot security.

We find working during election season to be exciting and very rewarding. Helping to ensure the security of our democratic process is a privilege we take very seriously.

In our years as extra-hire workers at the Election Center, we have worked in every department, giving us a broad understanding of how elections work. We enjoy helping the process and making sure your vote counts.

If you ever want to see election workers in action, you can come down and watch us through our viewing windows.

We are proud to have full disclosure and transparency in our election process. A volunteer program allows individuals from all parties — Republican, Democrat or Independent — to participate as election observers.

One of the most effective changes we like is the accessibility and ease of returning and tracking your ballot. Once your ballot is received at the Election Center, you can track it through every step of the validation process by going to Votewa.gov

Your signature on the declaration envelope is verified by a team of two people who confirm that it matches your registered signature. These workers have been trained by the Washington State Patrol Forensic Division and have yearly refresher courses to maintain competency.

If your envelope is unsigned or the signature does not match, you will receive a letter by mail asking to rectify the problem. Only after correctly signed envelopes have been received will they be processed and tabulated. As part of this process, the envelope and the ballot are separated to ensure voter confidentiality.

Voting on the local level issues ensures you have a voice in your community. The more people who vote, the greater the level of support for issues concerning your family, friends and neighborhoods.

All eligible voters should be involved, as there are many issues decided in elections that determine the direction and growth of our communities. One important issue as we start to emerge from COVID-19 is taking steps to rebuild our local economy and small businesses.

Hopefully we have given you some reassurance in the processing of your ballots. Anyone who is of age and eligible to vote should register if they haven’t already; while it’s too late to register by mail for Tuesday’s primary election, you can still do it online and in person all the way to Election Day.

Your voice is important and it is counted, so do not give up your right to vote!

Jennifer Barnstien of Puyallup and Sandra Bales of Tacoma are seasonal election workers in the Pierce County Auditor’s Office. They’ve been close friends for 10 years since meeting at the Election Center.