By Kaitlin Bain

Yakima Herald-Republic

If Washington voters continue returning ballots at the rate they have in the first week of voting, it will exceed primary voter turnout by Monday, according to the Washington Policy Center.

As of Friday morning, 622,951 ballots — 14.7 percent of those mailed — have been collected since voting began Oct. 21, according to David Ammons, spokesperson with the Washington Secretary of State.

Office officials anticipate seeing 80 percent of ballots returned for this election cycle. During the 2012 presidential election, 81.3 percent of ballots were returned.

New Washington voters can still register to vote in person until Oct. 31 at the County Courthouse’s Elections Office in Montesano.

According to the Washington Poll, surveyors expect Hilary Clinton to win Washington by as many as 14 points and U.S. Senator Patty Murray to beat challenger Chris Vance by 16 percent.

The governor’s race is anticipated to be close in comparison, with Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee winning by only six points.

Other measures that are anticipated to pass include Initiative 1433 — minimum wage and Initiative 1491 — firearm restrictions.