Spokane County reports incorrect ballot styles for some voters before Aug. 4 primary

Spokane County election officials reported July 30 that two groups of voters received incorrect ballot styles ahead of the Aug. 4, 2026 primary election.

The disclosure concerns the ballot format issued to voters for the primary, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 4. Spokane County Elections is continuing to provide election information and voter services as the election approaches.

What the county confirmed

The county said two groups of voters were sent incorrect ballot styles. The public information supplied with the announcement does not identify the number of voters in either group or describe the specific ballot-style mismatch.

Ballot styles determine which contests a voter is eligible to vote in. An incorrect style can therefore affect a voter’s ability to vote in the races assigned to that voter, making the county’s response and voter guidance important before Election Day.

The available materials also do not establish whether affected voters were contacted individually, whether any ballots using the incorrect styles had already been returned, or what corrective procedure the county is using for each group. Spokane County has not, in the supplied materials, announced that any votes were invalidated.

Election services remain available

Spokane County Elections lists an accessible voting unit at the Spokane County Elections Office. The unit has been available since July 17 and remains available through Election Day, Aug. 4.

The county’s current-election resources provide official information on the Aug. 4 primary, voter services, election results and final ballot processing. Voters seeking county guidance before the primary can use those official election resources and the county’s voter-service options.

What happens next

The next confirmed election deadline is Aug. 4, when the 2026 primary is scheduled to take place. Final processing of primary ballots is handled through Spokane County’s election operations.

The announcement is a pre-election administration disclosure, not a reported final resolution of the ballot-style problem. The supplied information does not establish an intentional cause or a partisan effect. It also does not provide a voter total, a description of the affected contests or a confirmed remedy for voters who received the wrong style.

Those unresolved details will determine how broadly the error affects voters’ access to the contests for which they are eligible. For now, the county’s confirmed disclosure is limited to two affected groups of voters and the incorrect ballot styles issued before the primary.