Hi there, Washington. The Office of Secretary of State has started this new agency blog to help you keep track of what’s going on here in Olympia and learn about how it affects you.

One of our priorities with this space is conversation – we want to answer your questions, and get your feedback, as well as provide insight about your state government and the public services that may really help you out. Expect us to highlight the many programs our agency runs that you probably don’t even know about. (Sure, you know we oversee elections, but did you know we house the nation’s first Digital Archives? Or that we register domestic partners? That we’re working on building a new state-of-the-art Heritage Center for Washington State, or that we help victims of domestic violence shield their addresses? The list goes on, but more on that later… )

You can expect to find regular stories and news updates from both David Ammons and me – two former local reporters – as well as Brian Zylstra, a longtime legislative staffer and now a key public affairs guy, and Stephanie Horn, who travels often with Secretary Reed and works with international visitors, community outreach and counties. Sam will also weigh in with his commentary and thoughts.

We welcome you to check back often and please weigh in. You can also follow us on Twitter to get updates.