OLYMPIA, Wash -- Coronavirus is throwing a small wrinkle into Washington's primary.



In an effort to stave off the spread of the virus, the Secretary of State's office doesn't want voters to lick their ballots to seal primary election envelopes.



Officials with the Washington Secretary of State's office said voters should use a sponge to moisten their ballot envelopes instead.



"The Washington State Department of Health advised we encourage voters who have yet to turn in their ballots to seal the envelopes by using an alternative method, such as a wet sponge or cloth," Kylee Zabeel with the Secretary of State's office said.



The department is trying to do whatever it can to help slow the spread of coronavirus, Zabeel said. They will also encourage all elections workers to use gloves when opening ballots.



The call to use a sponge isn't unprecedented. The department makes this recommendation during any virus season, they said.



