Dumped ballots raise fresh doubts about vote-by-mail security and chain of custody
BELLEVUE—Hundreds of undelivered, mostly blank ballots from multiple election cycles were discovered in February 2026 next to a dumpster behind a Renton strip mall, later turned over to Washington State Republican Party Chairman Jim Walsh and are now under federal investigation by U.S. Postal Inspectors, with the FBI expressing interest. The discovery of almost 500 […]
Trump signs new citizenship verification and mail ballot tracking executive order, Hobbs objects
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald J Trump signed an executive order on March 31 directing federal agencies to compile lists of confirmed U.S. citizens for each state and to impose new tracking requirements on mail-in and absentee ballots sent through the U.S. Postal Service. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs responded the same day, saying […]
Voter registration bill unanimously passes in House, heads to Senate
OLYMPIA—With a unanimous 97-0 vote on Friday, February 9, the Washington State House of Representatives approved House Bill 1962 to improve the accuracy of voter registration lists, that if signed into law, would take effect on June 1, 2025. The bill now heads to the Senate for further deliberation. Currently, if a county auditor receives […]
Online and mail-in voter registration deadline is Oct. 26
By Office of the Secretary of State | Press Release OLYMPIA – People who want to register to vote and participate in the Nov. 3 General Election have until Monday, Oct. 26, to register online or by U.S. mail. Online registration is available at VoteWA.gov, the state’s online voter portal. All that is required is […]
Inslee statement on threats to vote-by-mail and USPS
By Office of the Governor | Press Release Olympia, Wash., August 17, 2020 – Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement today in response to the Trump administration’s actions to limit the ability of the U.S. Postal Service to process vote-by-mail ballots. “Mail-in ballots are the easiest, safest, most reliable voting method there is and Washington’s […]
