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Understanding the February Special Election

Understanding the February Special Election

Did you know there’s an election coming up on Tuesday, February 13th? Springtime special elections sometimes get overlooked, especially when it feels like the recent November election is so fresh in mind. But in the February 2018 special election, 65 percent of Washington’s registered voters are eligible to participate — that’s 2,753,553 people. Voters from all but two counties have issues and/or races on the February ballot. San Juan and Skamania are the exceptions, but not all other counties have…

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Filing Week is under way!

Filing Week is under way!

Incumbent Supreme Court justices Debra Stephens (left) and Mary Fairhurst stop by our executive office in the Legislative Building to file in person Monday morning. Filing Week, that official kickoff of the 2014 campaign/election season, is under way. Three incumbent Supreme Court justices, Charles Johnson, Mary Fairhurst and Debra Stephens, and U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene of the 1st District, were among those at the starting gate, registering in person at the Secretary of State’s Office in the Capitol. Depending on…

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Lawmakers OK Reed military voting bill, earlier primary

Lawmakers OK Reed military voting bill, earlier primary

Washington lawmakers have voted to move the state’s primary election two weeks earlier and to make it easier for our military and overseas voters to cast ballots electronically.  Secretary of State Sam Reed, who championed the legislation, hailed the Senate’s unanimous vote Thursday that sent the measure to Governor Gregoire for her signature. The measure, Senate Bill 5171, allows service members and Washington voters abroad to return their voted ballots by fax or email, as many states do. Currently, ballots…

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WA now all vote-by-mail

WA now all vote-by-mail

Washington has become the second state in America — after Oregon — to move to conducting all elections by mail. Gov. Chris Gregoire on Tuesday signed Senate Bill 5124, requiring all counties to use the popular vote-by-mail system.  As a practical matter, it won’t be a change for most voters, since 98 percent of the statewide vote is now conducted by mail.  It will, however, mean that Pierce County, the lone holdout, will need to end use of polling places….

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A perfect 10! WA awarded new congressional seat

A perfect 10! WA awarded new congressional seat

Map courtesy of U.S. Census Bureau Celebration time! Washington’s population grew by over 14 percent in the past decade and will gain a new congressional seat. Washington’s former governor, Gary Locke, now President Obama’s commerce secretary, presided over a nationally televised press conference to release the 23rd Census since the founding of the republic. Relative to the rest of the nation, Washington grew enough in the past 10 years to nab a 10th congressional district.  Our latest population number: 6,724,540…

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Happy trails: Nick Handy retiring as Elections Director

Happy trails: Nick Handy retiring as Elections Director

Nick Handy is stepping down as State Elections Director after leading widely praised reform efforts that have boosted voter turnout and helped restore confidence in the elections process. Secretary of State Sam Reed announced today that Handy, 62, will retire at the end of the month after his seven-year tenure in the high-visibility, high-pressure post. Reed has promoted Handy’s two top lieutenants, Katie Blinn and Shane Hamlin, as acting co-directors of the Division of Elections. Reed had high praise for…

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Countdown to the November 8th Day of Jubilation – Part 11

Countdown to the November 8th Day of Jubilation – Part 11

Image courtesy of Washington State Archives In 1889, Congress passed the Enabling Act, which “enabled” Washington to draft a state constitution and request admission to the Union.  During the Washington State Constitutional Convention, women petitioned the delegates to include women’s suffrage in the new state constitution.  The issue was presented to the voters as a separate amendment on the ballot.  In the ensuing vote, 16,527 voters voted to include the amendment granting women the right to vote, but 34,613 voted…

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Reed: WA voters are ‘wide awake’

Reed: WA voters are ‘wide awake’

Washington’s Election Day is now just a few days off, and Secretary of State Sam Reed is predicting the best midterm election turnout in four decades. Reed says voters are fired up and that counties are expecting a flood of mail-in ballots this weekend. Reed urges voters to “avoid the rush” and return ballots promptly so that there is no doubt about making the Tuesday postmark deadline. Voters can return their ballots by mail or in person to a dropbox…

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Hey, number nerds: WA Primary turnout, by age & gender…

Hey, number nerds: WA Primary turnout, by age & gender…

Yes, it’s true, we are a font of information for demographics geeks. Here, for instance, are fresh numbers on the 2010 primary participation, by age sector and gender. The percentages to the right of each category is the percentage of the total turnout of about 1.5 million. The 18-24 year olds were 4 percent of the total, and those 25-34 added another 6 percent.  In other words, voters 35 and older were 90 percent of the participating electorate.  The numbers…

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Military voting: 51-day transit exceeds feds’ 45-day rule

Military voting: 51-day transit exceeds feds’ 45-day rule

Washington election officials today emphasized that the state’s recent federal “waiver” of the 45-day ballot deadline for military and overseas voters shouldn’t be viewed as providing less voting time for our soldiers abroad. Indeed, Washington has a generous 51-day transit period, and all properly voted military ballots that are returned in the three weeks after Election Day are counted. State Elections Director Nick Handy said Thursday: “It’s clear that some people hear the word `waiver’ and jump to the erroneous…

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