Since I reported earlier this month that it will cost an estimated 61 cents to mail your absentee ballot in Pierce County, I’ve had several phone calls from people who tell me their return ballot envelopes say “no postage necessary.”

It turns out the county auditor’s office still pays postage for people in some areas. Here’s why.

State law allows local elections officials to designate any precinct with fewer than 200 poll voters as a vote by mail precinct. In those precincts, there is no polling place; you can only vote by mail.

According to elections manager Lori Augino, Pierce County has 91 vote-by-mail precincts with about 8,000 voters.

Augino said the cost of postage for their ballots varies based on the turnout in any given election because the county only pays postage for ballots that are mailed. The county paid $1,258.52 to pay for postage in the August primary.