Ballots are being mailed out to Washington voters starting today and Spokane County, which is sending out about 275,000 ballots, will mail them out over a two-day stretch through Thursday.

Most voters should have their ballots by the weekend, but the elections officials said that any registered voter who hasn't received a ballot by a week from Friday -- that is, Oct. 24 -- should call their local elections office. In Spokane County, that number is 509-477-2320. For contact information for other counties, click here.

Washington conducts its elections completely by mail, and while most voters have probably become accustomed to the ins and outs of the process, we'll repeat them for the newcomers:

Ballots must be marked, placed inside the security envelope, which is placed inside the mailing envelope, which must be signed and sealed. Registered voters can't combine ballots into a single envelope, they have to be returned separately.

Ballots can be mailed in or deposited in a drop box the county sets up in chosen locations. Spokane County has drop boxes at most libraries, and a few other spots. A list is inside the blog. For other counties locations, click here and select your county from the map.

A mailed ballot requires postage. A ballot placed in a drop box does not.

Ballots must be mailed so they are postmarked by Nov. 4, or dropped off before 8 p.m. that day. If you mail a ballot on Nov.4, it's usually a good idea to take it to the post office rather than leaving it for pickup in your own mailbox to make sure it is postmarked in time.

Voters who damage or lose their ballot can get a replacement by contacting the county Elections Office, or by going to a Voter Service Center on Election Day.

For a list of Spokane County drop boxes, check inside the blog.