Maya Morales for Whatcom County Council, District 2
Maya built this website herself from scratch - it's a little wonky, but workable, and helps avoid funding wars!
Voting should be easy, accessible, and shouldn't take a bazillion years to figure out how to do! That's why I include "Equitable Acesss to Democracy" in my core values!
So I've put a bunch of time into collecting voting resources, and putting them in one easy place, for you!
NOTE: With the federal shutdown, we're seeing delays in mail:
PLEASE RETURN YOUR BALLOT TO AN OFFICIAL DROP BOX!
And, please help your neighbors and everyone you know do the same!
You have a list of official ballot drop boxes in the envelope with your ballot.
You can also see that list of dropboxes for our county in www.votewa.gov, the WA state voter portal that I've linked in one of the drop-down items below!
You can read the FULL electronic version of our Whatcom County Voter Booklet HERE! (Here)
FULL LINK TO COPY PASTE:
https://voter.votewa.gov/GenericVoterGuide.aspx?e=894&c=37#/
By LAW, EVERY Whatcom County Voter must recieve a Voter Booklet in the mail. In our county, we receive TWO! We get the GREEN one from the Sectretary of state, and we get the PINK booklet from our County Auditor's Office!
IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE PINK BOOKLET, PLEASE USE THE ONLINE GUIDE, and ALSO please report it A.S.A.P. to the Whatcom County Auditor!
The USPS delivers these beginning October 14th, so you should have actually received your booklet BEFORE your pamphlet.
If that didn't happen, you should report it, especially if you are a renter, BIPoC person, and/or naturalized citizen.
You can email the Whatcom County Deputy Auditor of elections at elections@co.whatcom.wa.us if you are still missing your voter booklet or ballot.
If for any reason, you are not comfortable emailing the County Auditor, you are welcome to email me, and I can report it on your behalf. (My email button is in the menu at the top of this website, a small envelope icon.)
You'll need to include your first and last name, and the voting address where you recieved your ballot.
The plain text version of Maya's Booklet info for screen readers and translating apps:
Candidate Statement
Elected Experience
Whatcom County Charter Review Commission
Other Professional Experience
I'm a working class legislative advocate, educator, and artist who's supported herself through degrees, with 25+ years of life & work
experience. I regularly fight for our futures, and belonging, justice, diversity and sustainable growth.
Education
Bachelor's: UC Santa Cruz
Double major - Fine Art: Multimedia | Women's Studies: Race, Class & Ethnicity
Master's: SIT Graduate Institute, Teaching - English to Speaker of Other Languages (MA TESOL)
Community Service
WA People's Privacy, ACLU WA Tech Equity Coalition, People First Bellingham, MLK Jr. Human Rights Conference; Whatcom Democrats,
countless social justice events, orgs, workshops & festivals; Student Conservation Association...
Statement
In 2024, you elected me with the most votes out of eight candidates to serve District 2 in 2025. You entrusted me with local office after
thousands of conversations with you at doors. Thank you! Since January, I've introduced proposals to: enact equitable pay across County
Elected Official roles and stipend working-poor people's participation on boards and commissions; create more interaction between County
Council and the people; enact Proportional Ranked Choice Voting–which creates more equitable access to running for office, gives voters more
choices of candidates, and prevents gerrymandering. I have also protected, and worked to advance, rights!
We deserve leaders with direct, lived experience and policy chops. I represent LGBTQ+ & BIPoC people, renters, and lifelong workers. I
understand tech justice issues. I bring a vital voice into rooms of power as our first Latiné Lesbian to ever serve in County office. I also bring
unshakeable integrity, wisdom, no-nonsense insight, real (not fake) kindness, and generosity. I'm running to work for everyday people, not
billionaires. We really need that from the leaders we elect. Charity is wonderful, but direct self-advocacy and democracy are powerful.
These pamphlet statements are due in May: see my website for platform, endorsements & info!
Contact
(360) 712-7221
info@electmaya.vote
PO BOX 443
BELLINGHAM, WA 98227
CLICK ON EACH IMAGE TO ENLARGE! If you're on a desktop, you can then use your arrow keys to scroll through the images. If you're on a phone or tablet, you can swipe!
This voter portal is your go-to for everything elections in WA state!
www.votewa.gov
Just log in with your name and bday to get your voting info!*
It is SUPER fast and easy on your phone, and you can even use your mapping app to locate and get you to your dropbox!
I'm a huge fan of votewa.gov -- Here's why!
Using your www.VoteWa.gov profile, you can:
- check on your voting address.
- check if your ballot has been mailed to you.
- make sure it says your ballot status says "Accepted" after you return it!
- get local elections office info (hours, phone, email), and learn where and how to vote or register in person,
- see ALL of the elected officials that serve your in your different state and local districts and ward.
Fun fact: Maya is on your elected officials list in District 2!
*Please do not log into this portal for anyone else without their consent. That is not its intended purpose, and it is a violation of a person's privacy. Let's all respect each other's autonomy, liberty, and privacy.
You can find a lot of content on Maya's instagram: @electmaya
Maya is not using Facebook for their campaign this year.
SHORTER VIDEOS
LISTEN: KGMI Interview (10 minutes) with Jason Upton on Oct. 30th:
https://on.soundcloud.com/
VIDEO: DEBUNKING Cascadia Daily News' Endorsement of my Opponent:
https://www.instagram.com/
VIDEO: 9/30/25 Condensed League of Women Voters Interview (18 minutes) with only my responses
https://www.instagram.com/
VIDEO: 10/4/25 Condensed Cascadia Daily News forum (19 minutes)
https://www.instagram.com/
VIDEO: 8/27/25 Bellingham City Club Forum (District 2 candidates Q&A is about 25 minutes)
https://youtu.be/GjKBxi6js5w?si=GlCyBT-pvhk6IDzU&t=640
Full forum is 1.5 hours, but this link is time-stamped, and begins right at Maya's part, which is minute 10:42
LONG FORM VIDEOS
VIDEO: FULL Cascadia Daily News Forum (1 hour, 48min.) here:
https://youtu.be/-G1SGXz5swc
VIDEO: FULL 9/30/25 League of Women Voters Candidate Forum (1 hour, 18min.) here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URrgTvUlCEw&t=14s
What's important to know about ballots and voting?
A few things, actually!
1) YOU NEED TO SEAL AND SIGN YOUR BALLOT ENVELOPE! Add an email or phone number that you don't mind having in the public record, so that if there's a problem, the auditor can contact you. I like to snap a photo of the back of my envelope so I know how I signed it.
2) Your signature needs to match what WA state has on file for you. If it doesn't match, your ballot may be challenged, and you just need to "cure," or fix, your signature with the Auditor.
Log into www.votewa.gov and CHECK YOUR BALLOT STATUS a day or two after you put your ballot in the drop box! If the status is "rejected" (before the 4th at 8PM), go in immediately and fix your vote by casting a new ballot! (Technically, you can actually invalidate your previously cast ballot before 8PM on Nov. 4th if you think you filled it out wrong and seriously messed up something on your ballot card itself. The auditor will locate your ballot, set aside your old one, and take in your new one. After the 8PM on November 4th, that process is not longer possible.) Anytime before the election is certified: if your ballot status online says "challenged", fix your signature ASAP! If it says "Accepted," CONGRATS! You're good. Basically, just remember to check the status of your ballot after you vote on votewa.gov! Every time you vote. ✅
Can I vote ON election day if I didn't get a ballot?
Yes! You can register and vote in person at the County Auditor's office when the office is open before or up until 8PM ON election day!
Auditor's Office: 311 Grand Avenue, Suite 103, Bellingham WA 98225
Hours:
Monday Nov. 3rd 8:30 AM to 4:30PM
Tuesday Nov. 4th 8:30AM to 8:00PM
It is right across from the Bellingham Public Library lawn. There is metered parking on the street. Unfortunately, there is no free parking. In my opinion, all parking near voting centers should be free on election day, but we don't have that. Yet! 😉 There are multiple bus stops nearby, and there is a bike rack!
If you're going in to register and vote on election day, Nov. 4th, You should plan to arrive there before 7:30PM if possible, so that you have plenty of time to go through the security screening, talk with elections staff, fill out your form, and vote! BRING YOUR CHEAT SHEET with who and what you want to vote for written down to make it faster and easier! 🔥Hot tip, use the online voter guide, and make a list in your notes app on your phone to reference while you vote!
Even 🔥🔥hotter tip: GO IN ON MONDAY INSTEAD so it's done and dusted! :-)
Legally, if you're at the counter to vote by 7:59PM on Nov. 4th, you can VOTE. Feel free to take a selfie for the time-stamp and insist on voting if that's what you need to do! BUT, please know that it's really so much kinder to our elections staff to arrive earlier if you can do that. Leave any self-defense tools (such as mace on a keychain, etc) at home, or in your car.
Should I put my ballot in the mail?
It is best to get your ballot into an official drop box this year, so please plan ahead! We are in the midst of a federal government shutdown, so mail could be slowed, and our WA Secretary of State has advised voters that we can't be 100% sure that ballots will be post-marked in time to be counted if using the US postal mail after Oct 28th, so using a drop box is strongly recommended by our Secretary of State.
I can't walk/drive/roll/bus to a ballot box: Can someone else take my ballot to an official drop box for me?
Yes! You can ask someone you trust to take your ballot to an official drop box before 8PM on November 4th. That is totally OK in WA state. Some people mistakenly refer to that as "ballot harvesting," and that's not correct. Helping a neighbor, family member or friend bring their sealed and signed ballot envelope to a box is a really kind thing to do! Just make sure you get any ballots you're taking to an official drop box INTO that box before 8PM on November 4th.
Please support your neighbors this year! Families with kids, elders, folks with phyisical disabilities, busy folks in general -- all may have a hard time getting out to a ballot box -- let's be good neighbors and help each other get those ballots INTO an official box!
Here is the map of official drop boxes in Whatcom County: https://www.whatcomcounty.us/1863/Ballot-Drop-Box-Locations
You'll see that County Council District 2 only has TWO official dropboxes in our District -- one at Cordata, and one at Whatcom Community College -- while County Council District 1 has SIX dropboxes in their district. For those in North Bellingham, it's a trek to WCC, Cordata, or you've gotta get downtown to the courthouse parking lot behind the MakeShift art studios and gallery, or inside the County Auditor's office. Also, the Ferndale Drop Box has been relocated from City Hall to 2007 Cherry Street!
That's why we need to help eachother out! :-)
I have a felony conviction. Can I vote?
People with felony convictions who have completed their sentence should have their voting rights restored and CAN VOTE again!
Effective January 1st, 2022, if you were convicted of a felony in Washington State, another state, or in federal court, your right to vote will be restored automatically as long as you are not currently serving a sentence of total confinement in prison.
I am not a U.S. Citizen. Can I vote?
Unfortunately, no. Permanent residents with green cards, and other residents who are not US citizens cannot vote in local, state, or federal elections. People with permanent resident status (green cards) can legally donate to campaigns and candidates in WA state, but cannot vote.
What do I need to register to vote?
To register to vote in the state of Washington, you must be:
-
A citizen of the United States
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A resident of Washington state
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At least 18 years old
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If you are 16 or 17, you can sign up as a Future Voter and be automatically registered to vote when you qualify
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Not disqualified from voting due to a court order
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Not currently serving a sentence of total confinement in prison under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections for a Washington felony conviction
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Not currently incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction.
You will need to fill out a Voter Registration form. You can print a form, fill it out at home, and bring it to the County Auditor's office, or request one there.
English Language form:
https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/VRF_English.pdf
Spanish (Español) Language form:
https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/VRF_Spanish.pdf
You can find the forms in other languages here:
https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters/voter-registration/print-voter-registration-form
What if I am unhoused, and I don't have a permanent home address to use?
To register to vote in Washington State, you must be a resident of the state. You may specify a mailing address that is different from your residential address.
You can only be registered to vote at one location at a time. So if you're registered in another city and/or state, you'll be updating your registration with the Whatcom County Auditor in order to vote here.
If you are living on the street, in the woods, in car, a motor home or transitional housing, your voting residence is the physical location at the time you register to vote.
You may list a different address for your mailing address.
I strongly recommend to my unhoused neighbors who are not sheltered: please do NOT register with a location where you are actually currently camping or hanging out often. Voting addresses are public record, and your safety is a priority! I want everyone who can vote to VOTE! And I also want you to be safe.
UNSHELTERED & UNHOUSED FOLKS IN COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2 (ALL OF NORTH BELLINGHAM):
YOU CAN CHOOSE ANY PHYSICAL LOCATION IN DISTRICT TWO TO REGISTER AS YOUR PHYSICAL ADDRESS, and YOU CAN LEGALLY USE THE USPS GENERAL MAIL AT ONE OF OUR POST OFFICES AS YOUR BALLOT MAILING ADDRESS. For a district two physical address, You can record an intersection, like Woburn and Cordata Blvd as your physical address – that is totally acceptable, and use the post office general mail as your mailing address.
The post office address downtown is 315 Prospect Street, Bellingham, WA 98225
The address in Sunset Square is 3150 Orleans St, Bellingham, WA 98226
OBSERVING THE RECEIVING AND COUNTING OF BALLOTS
it's always good to have folks observe ballot counting. If you would like to observe how ballots are sorted and counted, you can learn about that here!
https://www.whatcomcounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/57908/Observer-Guide?bidId=