Olympic swimmer Nathan Adrian, mystery writer J.A. Jance and sports announcer Kevin Calabro are the latest celebrities to join a multi-jurisdictional education campaign to educate voters about the voting process. The celebrities, who are donating their time, are appearing in ads on radio, TV and online to share important voting tips.

“Everyone can be a voting champion,” says Adrian, a Bremerton native. “Don’t wait til the last second. Go for the gold by following the directions and getting your ballot back early.”

Jance, an Eastside resident, says that fictional characters are great, but not as write-in candidates on a ballot. Calabro, former voice of the Sonics, reminds voters to get on the ball and score this election by listening to the officials and following instructions.

Adrian, Jance and Calabro join other local celebrities including chef Tom Douglas, travel guru Rick Steves, and players from the Seattle Storm. Sponsored by elections departments from four counties (King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap) and the Office of the Secretary of State, the ads remind voters to sign their return ballot envelopes, get their ballots back on time, and other important tips that help ensure more ballots can be processed and election costs are reduced.

In anticipation of widespread interest in this year’s elections, King County also is reaching out to Chinese- and Vietnamese-speaking citizens. (King County provides voting materials in both Chinese and Vietnamese, in compliance with federal requirements.) With the help of notable local figures from the Vietnamese and Chinese communities, King County is publishing voting tips in the Seattle Chinese Post, Northwest Vietnamese News and Northwest Asian Weekly and running public service announcements on AAT TV. The ads feature:

• Mrs. Roy Chiao, actor and TV host
• Thach Nguyen, real estate agent and advocate for the homeless
• Verlinda Vu, Miss Vietnam Washington
• Peter Wong, Chairman of Rainbow Missions and expert in adaptive technology

To see samples of the ads, go to http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/news/psa/2012.aspx

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