News Briefs | Oct. 23 edition

Bite-sized news about voting, deer hunt, Halloween road closure, shellfishing restrictions and possible interruption to SNAP services.

October 22, 2025 3:48 pm
Kids rush to the Vashon Chamber of Commerce to collect candy on Halloween night, 2024. As is traditional on Vashon, Vashon Highway will once again close to traffic between Ober Park and Vashon Theatre from 5-8 p.m. on Halloween. (Alex Bruell Photo)
Kids rush to the Vashon Chamber of Commerce to collect candy on Halloween night, 2024. As is traditional on Vashon, Vashon Highway will once again close to traffic between Ober Park and Vashon Theatre from 5-8 p.m. on Halloween. (Alex Bruell Photo)

Time to vote

King County elections staff mailed over 1.4 million ballots Oct. 15 for the Nov. 4 general election, and is projecting a 45% turnout of registered voters. On Vashon, it is likely to be higher, as Vashon typically outperforms most communities in the county.

Read The Beachcomber’s coverage of local contested elections for commissioners of Vashon Island Fire & Rescue and Vashon Health Care District at tinyurl.com/bdhv6tb2.

Voters who have not received their ballots can call King County Elections at 206-296-VOTE (8683).

Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 4 or returned to one of the 85 official drop box locations across the county. Drop boxes are open 24 hours, seven days a week, until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Vashon’s drop box is located outside the Vashon Library, at Ober Park.

If returning a ballot by mail, the U.S. Postal Service recommends mailing the ballot at least one week before Election Day, or Oct. 28 for this election.

The deadline to register to vote online is Oct. 27. Voters can register and vote through 8 p.m. on Election Day at any of King County Elections’ vote center locations.

All voters are encouraged to track their ballot to make sure their voice is heard. Voters can also sign up for ballot alerts to receive text and email notifications about their ballot status from when it’s mailed to when it’s verified and counted by King County Elections. Opt in online through King County Elections’ ballot tracker.

For more information, go to kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections.

Deer hunt

The annual limited deer-hunting season at King County Parks’ Island Center Forest is still underway through Oct. 31, with trails in the Natural Area of the forest open for public use but the rest of the park closed to all other users except for hunters.

Maps of the deer hunt area are available at tinyurl.com/4zpxywzy (Spanish) and tinyurl.com/3hnxbpkv (English).

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) oversees the deer hunt at Island Center Forest to better control the growing deer population on Vashon-Maury Island, where deer have no natural predators. The hunting season during the second half of October coincides with WDFW’s designated modern firearm hunting season, when all firearms can be used, except rifles.

Formerly owned and managed by Washington Department of Natural Resources, Island Center Forest is the only public land on Vashon Island where deer hunting has been allowed. The state transferred ownership of the forest to King County in 2004, and an agreement to continue a limited annual deer-hunting season was a part of the ownership transfer.

The hunt is open to everyone with a big game deer license and tag for deer with the modern weaponry option. One deer (antlerless or buck) is allowed. The WDFW issues a special permit through a limited lottery for a second (antlerless only) deer with the modern weaponry tag.

Halloween Road Closure

On Friday Oct. 31 from 5-8 p.m., Vashon’s town center will transform as costumed trick-or-treaters of all ages fill Vashon Highway in search of sweets and spooky fun. Expect haunted houses, live performances and plenty of Halloween spirit throughout the evening.

Vashon Highway will be closed to traffic from Ober Park to Vashon Theatre during the event. Parking along the highway will also be prohibited between 5 and 8 p.m.

Services could be interrupted

Washington Department of Social and Health Service’s mobile office currently plans to bring its services to the United Methodist Church’s parking lot from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at 17928 Vashon Highway SW. Islanders can apply inside the van for food, cash, and medical services, and also drop off paperwork, complete a case, make changes to an existing case, or request an EBT card.

Note: As of Monday, Oct. 20, the U.S. Congress has failed to pass a budget resolution. SNAP funding has continued to be available for October 2025 benefits and staffing. At this time, DSHS does not have authority to issue November benefits for SNAP/FAP for November and beyond. If the U.S. is still in a federal shutdown as of Nov. 1, the DSHS Van may be forced to cancel their Nov. 6 event on Vashon.

For more information, visit washingtonconnection.org.

Shellfishing closures

Recreational shellfishing remains closed on some beaches of Vashon-Maury Island due to unsafe levels of paralytic shellfish poison — a neurotoxin that can sicken or even kill those who eat contaminated shellfish.

A regularly updated interactive map, at fortress.wa.gov/doh/biotoxin/biotoxin.html, shows which beaches are closed and which are open, or call the Department of Health Biotoxin Hotline at 800-562-5632.

The closures refer only to recreational shellfishing; commercial shellfish sites are monitored separately.