1 in 4 Tri-City voters have returned Feb. 14 ballots. Here are the drop box locations

Ballots are still trickling in for the Feb. 14 special election as voters decide on crucial school funding and money for new school buildings to ease crowding in the coming decades.

As of Monday, only about one in four Tri-City voters had returned their ballots. Nearly every school district in the area has a measure on the ballot.

Voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to drop their ballots in a county-certified drop box.

Roughly 24% of the 118,782 ballots issued in Benton County have been returned, according to the Washington Secretary of State’s Office.

In Franklin County, where 39,505 ballots have been sent out, nearly 19% have been returned.

Between the two counties, 491 ballots have been challenged so far, meaning voters need to rectify an issue, such as mismatched signature, with their ballot before it can be counted.

Across the state, where 29 of 39 counties are holding a local election, about 20% of registered voters had returned a ballot by Monday.

Five school districts in Franklin and Benton counties are asking voters to renew crucial levy funding to help pay for nurses, security officers, instructional support, paraeducators, librarians and athletic programs.

Those include districts in Kennewick, Finley, Kiona-Benton City, Othello and Paterson.

Last year, Kennewick School District suffered a historic double levy failure. If voters decline the local funding for a third time, the district is set to lose $38 million in annual funding — and will likely require drastic cuts to sports, activities and staffing.

Finley also is looking to bounce back from a double levy failure.

Both Richland and Pasco are asking voters to pass new taxes to pay for capital projects.

Richland’s safety and security capital projects levy would build new main entrance security vestibules and relocate administrative offices in eight schools, including Hanford and Richland high schools.

Funding would also pay for threat assessment training, expansion of surveillance equipment to all school campuses and partnerships with security experts.

Some of the money will also pay to design and develop new buildings, including a third high school in West Richland, a joint campus facility for River’s Edge High School and Pacific Crest Online Academy, and a building expansion for Three Rivers HomeLink.

Pasco is asking voters to approve a bond to build a third high school near Burns Road and Road 60.

The new tax would also pay for construction of a new small career and college academy in East Pasco, improve existing athletics facilities, and modernize career and technical education classrooms at Chiawana and Pasco high schools.

Ballot boxes

It’s too late to stick your ballot in the mail to be post marked in time to be counted.

Ballots can still be submitted before 8 p.m. on election day at multiple drive-up drop boxes in Benton and Franklin counties.

In Benton County, there are boxes outside Kennewick City Hall, the Benton County Justice Center in Kennewick, the county voting center on North Columbia Center Blvd. in Richland, Badger Mountain Community Park, Jefferson Park, West Richland Library, West Richland Municipal Services, WSU-Tri-Cities campus, Finley Middle School, Benton County Courthouse in Prosser and Benton City City Hall.

In Franklin County, drop boxes are at the HAPO Center (formerly TRAC) on Burden Boulevard in Pasco, the county election center on 3rd Avenue in Pasco, the county courthouse parking lot on 4th Avenue in Pasco, Franklin Fire District 3 station on Road 84, and the county auditor’s office inside the courthouse.

Live election results will be published on the Tri-City Herald’s website immediately after counties post them 8 p.m. on Tuesday.