Washington and Nevada governors activate National Guard for election safety
OLYMPIA—Just days following the destruction of ballot boxes in both Portland and Vancouver on October 28, in what Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called an act of “terror” against “fair elections in Washington state,” Governor Jay Inslee on Friday, November 1, activated Washington National Guard members to support public safety activities related to the 2024 […]
An online and overseas voting system under fire by Washington voters
SEATTLE—With just two weeks to go until the November 5 General Elections, some Washington voters are beginning to challenge the validity of overseas ballots and the online voting portal used in Washington state, Democracy Live’s OmniBallot. Democracy Live’s OmniBallot is a web-based elections portal designed to allow remote, overseas, deployed military, or disabled voters an […]
Everett and Mukilteo levies failing, voters strike down Port Expansion
SNOHOMISH COUNTY—Statewide election results in Washington state are officially being tallied. Some races we can call early and others, we will have to wait as ballots are counted over the next several days. Overall, only 25% of the 517,543 ballots mailed have been returned and counted in Snohomish County as of August 6. Below are […]
Secretary of State’s office distributes $2 million to county elections offices to bolster security
OLYMPIA—In the second year of a statewide funding program to help counties improve their elections security, the Washington state Office of the Secretary of State has provided approximately $2 million to 29 elections offices statewide, with final calculations pending. The program’s third year of funding is now open. As in prior years, each county’s elections […]
Election integrity bill sponsored by Sam Low signed into law
OLYMPIA—A bill sponsored by 39th District Representative Sam Low to modernize Washington state’s voter registration system and strengthen election integrity was signed into law on Wednesday, March 13, by Governor Jay Inslee. Representative Sam Low (R-Lake Stevens), the bill’s primary sponsor, emphasized the importance of bipartisan collaboration in getting the election integrity bill passed and […]
Secretary Hobbs praises Legislature for passing elections security bills and reinforcing important public services
OLYMPIA—During the 2024 legislative session, the Legislature approved several bills and $33.3 million in funding requested by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs that will enhance the integrity of Washington elections and improve support for charities and libraries statewide. “These bills and critical funding will go a long way toward reducing barriers to voter registration, enhancing […]
Kim Wyman out at Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 7, 2023—Former Washington State Secretary of State Kim Wyman (R) will be leaving her federal appointment as Lead Senior Election Security Advisor for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. “I want to thank Kim Wyman, who will be departing CISA at the end […]
Washington to activate National Guard cyber teams for election security
First reported by Politico on Friday, November 4, the National Guard in cooperation with state governors will be activating approximately 100 personnel for state active duty to support officials in 14 states to protect election infrastructure against cyber threats. Overall, the National Guard has a total of 2,200 cyber support personnel within 38 cyber units […]
