Voters’ pamphlet in the mail

The statewide voters’ pamphlet for the 2010 general election will be delivered to mailboxes this week — about the same time that Washington voters receive their ballots. King County voters should receive theirs around Oct. 16.

The statewide voters’ pamphlet for the 2010 general election will be delivered to mailboxes this week — about the same time that Washington voters receive their ballots. King County voters should receive theirs around Oct. 16.

That pamphlet in the mailbox will be one of 3.3 million, the vast majority of which were printed on recycled paper.

Creating the pamphlets is such a big job that one company alone can’t handle all the printing. This year, the work was divvied up among the three largest printers in the state. The presses run 24/7, but printing the pamphlets still takes nearly three weeks. When printing is complete, the pamphlets are bundled and sent to the post office for distribution to every household in the state.

Other facts about the 2010 voters’ pamphlet:

• Each pamphlet costs roughly the same as a postage stamp to print and ship to every household in the state.

• 28 editions of the pamphlet are created, including Spanish and Chinese editions.

• Additional editions are created in alternative formats such as Braille, audio and large print for voters with limited vision.