Voters who cast their ballots by mail will be assured their vote will be preserved, under a new policy adopted by the King County Council.

"The Washington State Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to cast a secret ballot," said Councilmember Dow Constantine, prime sponsor of the motion. "We must protect this right by accurately tracking the return and signature verification of every voter's sealed envelope, while ensuring that the ballot inside cannot later be connected with a particular voter."

When the council in 2006 authorized a mail voting system, one of its conditions was implementation of an online system to allow voters to track their ballot envelope from the mailbox to the Elections Section, so they can be sure the postal service properly delivered their ballot for counting.

The council policy says no barcodes, numbers, or other identifying marks can be placed on the ballot itself that could be used to link an individual voter to his or her ballot. The motion also states that the county's highest priority during elections is to preserve the secrecy of individual ballots and ensure an accurate vote count.