King County voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, to return their ballots, with drop boxes and vote centers closing sharp at that deadline.

More than 650,000 King County ballots had been returned as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, about 45% of registered voters, The Seattle Times reported. King County Elections (KCE) is projecting 75% turnout, which would mean roughly 1.1 million ballots returned from the county's 1.45 million registered voters, according to a KCE press release.

"Hard to say how close (to 75%) we will get, but drop box returns have been strong," said Kendall Hodson, chief of staff for King County Elections, in the Seattle Times' live coverage.

That projection would put this midterm between the 76% turnout King County saw in 2018 and the 65% in 2022, according to KCE.

What Bellevue voters are deciding

Bellevue sits in King County Council District 6, where incumbent Councilmember Claudia Balducci is running unopposed. Balducci has held the seat since 2016. District 6 covers northern Bellevue, Clyde Hill, Medina, Mercer Island and southwestern Redmond.

Bellevue voters are also weighing statewide initiatives on an income tax, transgender student athletes and parental rights, as well as congressional and legislative races. As we reported Nov. 3, several key contests appear on local ballots.

Competitive King County Council races

The most competitive King County Council race is in District 2, where state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña faces Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa. That district covers eastern Seattle, Capitol Hill, the University District, Skyway and parts of Tukwila.

Saldaña won the August primary with 56% of the vote to Hasegawa's 35%, according to the Seattle Times. She leads in fundraising with nearly $300,000 raised, compared to about $250,000 for Hasegawa.

In District 8, which covers Burien, Tukwila, Vashon and southwestern Seattle, incumbent Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda faces Nick Duda, a former Seattle City Council aide. Mosqueda won the August primary by more than 40 points, the Seattle Times reported.

How to return your ballot

Bellevue College is one of 15 new ballot drop box locations KCE added this year, bringing the countywide total to 100. In the August primary, 70% of returned ballots came through drop boxes, according to KCE.

Voters who still have their ballot can drop it at any King County drop box by 8 p.m. Ballots sent by mail must be postmarked by Nov. 3 to count. Voters who lost their ballot can print a replacement or register in person at a vote center through 8 p.m.

Six U.S. Department of Justice election monitors were expected to visit King County's seven voting centers and some drop boxes on Election Day, the Seattle Times reported. Voters should not expect monitors to interfere, officials said.

What happens next

KCE will post one batch of results after 8 p.m. Tuesday. No second results drop will follow on election night. Starting Nov. 4, results will be updated on weekdays at 4 p.m. through Nov. 23. Voters have until 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 23 to fix a signature challenge. The election will be certified Nov. 24.