The summer campaign season is close at hand, and July 9 is the deadline to register to vote or update registration information for the Aug. 7 primary election.

Voters can check to make sure if registration information is current by using My Voter Guide, by calling the Voter Hotline at 206-296-VOTE or by visiting King County Elections weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 919 S.W. Grady Way, Renton.

“We’ll be mailing ballots for the primary election soon, so it’s very important that voters’ names, addresses and signatures are current,” Elections Director Sherril Huff said in a statement. “If you’ve moved or changed your name recently, you need to update your voter registration.”

Signatures tend to change over time, so it’s also important for voters to update the signature on file at the elections office. The update helps avoid problems when the office reviews and verifies each voter’s signature before the ballot can be counted.

Voters who miss the July 9 deadline to update registration should still contact the elections office to update information for future elections.

King County residents not registered in Washington can register in person after July 9 at the elections office through July 30.

In order to register as a Washington voter, a person must be a U.S. citizen, a Washington resident, at least 18 by Election Day and not under the authority of the state Department of Corrections.

In Washington, voters do not register by political party or declare political party membership to vote in primary or general elections.

Gordon A. Bisset has established a commanding lead in Newcastle’s primary race for the fourth position on the City Council.

With about 70 percent — or 938 votes — Bisset pulls ahead of candidate Frank Irigon, who has gathered 312 votes, or about 23 percent to total votes cast, according to updated information provided on the King County elections website.

Both candidates will advance to the November ballot for the general election.

Andrew T. Shelton, who dropped out of the race in July, received about 6 percent — or 83 — of the votes cast.

A total of 1,435 out of 6,203 registered voters cast a ballot in the August primary.

The primary results won’t be official until all ballots postmarked with the appropriate date are counted and the election is certified.