If you vote, VOTE EARLY. That's the message from election officials in Washington state. The U.S. Postal Service has changed the way it handles postmarks, and it could cause ballots in Washington elections to not be counted.

CAN'T RELY ON THE POST OFFICE FOR TIMING

Washington State officials are sounding the warning to voters that the new date on a postmark may not "reliably" reflect the date that the ballot was mailed meaning those who wait until the last minute could be disqualified.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Work to modernize the post office has apparently lead to the problem. Mail in Yakima and other areas in Central Washington is postmarked at a processing facility on the west side of the state which because of the distance which could be a day or two after you dropped it in the mailbox.

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