A voter places her ballot in the ballot box in front of the Covington Library in downtown Covington. It is the same box where Shukri Olow, center, of Kent dropped hers off the day she received it. As a Somali refugee and Muslim, she is fearful about the political climate and wanted to vote early to protect her vote and her community. She is sitting with her children Khalid Ahmed, 8, left, and Amani Ahmed, 10. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)
Shukri Olow, center, sits with her children Khalid Ahmed, 8, left, and Amani Ahmed, 10, at the ballot drop box in front of the Covington Library. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)
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Shukri Olow is a Kent mom, a Somali refugee and a Black Muslim woman. All those identities fuel her passion for civic engagement, and she's one of a record number of voters casting ballots early this election season. Updated

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) is hit by Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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Dr. Vin Gupta, photographed at the University of Washington, is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. Gupta is often on NBC news and MSNBC as a medical contributor, taking on a national profile during the pandemic with his honest assessments. Photographed on October 14, 2020. 215300 215300
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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) breaks the tackle of Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker K.J. Wright (50) for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) AZMY133
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Early voting in Bedford, Texas, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. Though mail-in ballot requests and early voting turn out are up this year, a significant portion of the American population will likely not participate in the election. (Cooper Neill/The New York Times)

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White House senior adviser Jared Kushner does a television interview at the White House, Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) DCAB101 DCAB101
Kushner says Black people must ‘want to be successful’  VIEW Updated
Ballot board workers process mail-in ballots at Bergen Community College in Paramus, N.J., Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. This is the first day Bergen County officials are allowed to start sorting and processing ballots; they have already received more than 200,000 ballots and expect to count more than 450,000 by the time the election is through. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) NJSW108 NJSW108
LiveElection 2020 updates, Oct. 26: Today is the last day to register online to vote Updated
Monday is last day to register online or by mail to vote; in-person registration open until Election Day
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A cigarette sits in an ashtray at the Red Key Taven in Indianapolis, Thursday, June 11, 2009. The U.S. Senate voted Thursday on legislation that for the first time would give the new powers to control the production and marketing of tobacco products. South Carolina has the lowest state sales tax on cigarettes in the country. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) INDC102
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A car sits in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone following a shooting in Seattle early Monday, June 29, 2020. At least one man was killed and another was wounded early Monday morning when they were shot in the protest area known as CHOP, after driving the vehicle into the area. (AP Photo/Aron Ranen)

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A photo provided by the artist Paolo Cirio shows his exhibit called “Capture,” for which he collected police officers’ faces from 1,000 photos he had gathered from the internet and from photographers who attended protests in France. He described the project as the first step in developing a facial recognition app. (Paolo Cirio via The New York Times) — NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY WITH NYT STORY SLUGGED xxxxxx BY KASHMIR HILL FOR OCT. xx, 2020. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED. —

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In this Sept. 16, 2020 file photo, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Health Adm. Brett Giroir speaks at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on a “Review of Coronavirus Response Efforts” on Capitol Hill in Washington. A day after White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said “we’re not going to control the pandemic,” a top Trump administration health official says Americans have already proven they can do that through basic safeguards shown to work. “I think we can control the pandemic,” Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brett Giroir said Monday on a call with reporters. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool) WX102 WX102

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Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson (32) runs as Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell defends during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri) AZMY110 AZMY110

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Chelsey Bollinger with REACH (CQ), a Christian ministries group, gives a haircut to Tearra Howard on the street in Pioneer Square. Howard says, “I was just walking past.” This by the Pergola near First and Yesler. Every week REACH members look for people in need and many are living on the street There’s no fee charged. When finished, Howard liked the look. LO Linesonly Haircuts in the street by Reach Ministeries. Saturday Oct 17, 2020 215425
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Mom Hazel, top, hangs out with her twin cubs Tian, left, and Zan, at the Woodland Park Zoo on the offspring’s first visit to the public viewing area. Their closest relatives are skunks, minks and raccoons, not bears. They’re native to Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Myanmar. Twin red panda cubs, a boy and a girl, were born May 25 to mom 4-year-old Hazel and 15-year-old dad Yukiko. The female cub is named Tián (TEA-en), meaning ?sweet,? and her twin brother is named Zan (rhymes with van), meaning help and support. Both names are Mandarin. First time in public viewing area Woodland Park Zoo. Friday Oct 23, 2020. 215478
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Remus gets a comb-out following his bath. A barely audible growl was heard. Or maybe it was a purr. Alex the cat Groomer Alex Perry at work Friday Oct. 2, 2020 Likely Northwest Wanderings 215251
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The Maple trees along Lake Washington Blvd North near Gene Coulon Park in Renton are attracting people to photograph the fall colors as fall temperatures begin to dip and leaves begin to fall. After Wednesday’s volatile weather, the forecast calls for partly sunny skies on Thursday, rain on Friday, with the sun returning for the weekend. LO LO LO 215444 215444
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