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Elections

House9 recount confirms narrow edge for Lathim

House9 recount confirms narrow edge for Lathim

Secretary of State Kim Wyman says the recount of the close primary vote in House District 9 in the sprawling six-county district showed that not a single vote changed from the original tally. That means former Franklin County Sheriff Richard Lathim’s 47-vote margin over Democrat Kenneth Caylor stands. Lathim advances to the General Election, taking on fellow Republican Mary Dye, who was appointed to the House earlier this year to replace Rep. Susan Fagan. The outcome will not affect the…

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Elections Division honored for emergency planning

Elections Division honored for emergency planning

A wildfire burning near Twisp. (Photo credit: Erika Schultz/The Seattle Times) Washington has won national recognition for emergency preparedness for state and county elections operations, Secretary of State Kim Wyman and state Elections Director Lori Augino announced Friday. The National Association of State Election Directors selection committee named Washington the winner of the 2015 state division of the Election Center’s Professional Practices Awards. The award will be presented at the 2016 NASED meeting. Wyman, an officer of the National Association…

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I-1366 survives court challenge, but high court appeal looms

I-1366 survives court challenge, but high court appeal looms

King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum has declined to block Initiative 1366 from the fall statewide ballot. Opponents of Tim Eyman’s anti-tax measure had tried to derail it from appearing on the ballot, asserting that it has an overarching purpose of amending the state constitutional, which cannot be done by initiative. Eyman’s plan would lower the state sales tax by one percentage point, from 6.5 to 5.5, unless lawmakers place a proposed constitutional amendment on the 2016 ballot to…

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PrezPrimary date stays May 24; Wyman: Voters still want a voice

PrezPrimary date stays May 24; Wyman: Voters still want a voice

Secretary Wyman, disappointed by defeat of her plans to move the 2016 Washington Presidential Primary from late May to early March, said Wednesday she’s nonetheless moving forward with a May 24 primary because “our voters want to vote; they want to be heard.” Wyman, the state’s chief elections officer, has been a strong advocate of the Presidential Primary and had praised lawmakers for including the funding in the state budget. But she had sought to move the primary from May…

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Secretary Wyman asks court to allow vote on I-1366

Secretary Wyman asks court to allow vote on I-1366

Initiative checkers review I-1366 signatures earlier this summer. Secretary Wyman, the state’s chief elections officer, is urging King County Superior Court to allow a public vote this fall on Initiative 1366. Wyman said she takes no position on the initiative nor on whether it would be constitutional if approved by the voters. She said her interest is in defending the public’s right to vote on a measure that was qualified for the ballot via petitions signed by over 339,000 people….

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WA celebrates 50th anniversary of Voting Rights Act

WA celebrates 50th anniversary of Voting Rights Act

We’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the landmark federal Voting Rights Act, with Secretary Wyman and the state Elections Division, the state’s 39 county election offices and the National Association of Secretaries of State leading the praise for equal access for voters. “The work of assuring equal access to the ballot never ends. We in Washington are absolutely committed to eliminating barriers and encouraging voter participation of every eligible person in the state. “We encourage our children…

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I-1366, I-1401 certified, heading to fall ballot

I-1366, I-1401 certified, heading to fall ballot

Assistant Secretary of State Mark Neary certifies I-1366 and I-1401. Two initiatives, one dealing with taxes and the other with endangered animals, officially have the green light to go onto the General Election ballot this fall. Assistant Secretary of State Mark Neary Thursday certified that Initiative 1366 and I-1401 both have enough valid signatures to be placed on the statewide ballot. I-1366, sponsored by initiative activist Tim Eyman, would make it harder for the Legislature to raise taxes. I-1401, backed…

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Non-binding tax advisory votes headed to WA ballot

Non-binding tax advisory votes headed to WA ballot

Four tax advisory votes will be on the statewide ballot this fall, including the transportation funding package, marijuana tax changes and closure of several tax preferences, Secretary of State Kim Wyman says. The votes, which are nonbinding, are an opportunity for voters to express support or opposition to revenue provisions in bills that passed in the recent legislative sessions. Legislators are not required to do anything with the results. The advisory votes are mandated under Tim Eyman’s voter-approved I-960. This…

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Signature check under way for I-1401; 1366 next

Signature check under way for I-1401; 1366 next

A signature checker reviews I-1401 signatures at the Elections Division office. Elections Division signature checkers are busily sifting through petitions signed for initiatives I-1401, Paul Allen’s sponsored proposal to protect endangered species, and I-1366, activist Tim Eyman’s proposal aimed at making it harder to raise taxes in Olympia. Signature checkers play a key role in “direct democracy” by making sure signatures submitted for initiatives are valid. In Washington, 246,372 valid signatures, or 8 percent of the total votes cast for…

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2015 Primary begins! Ready to vote?

2015 Primary begins! Ready to vote?

Washington voters soon will be receiving their ballots for the 2015 Primary, the eighth year in which the voter-approved Top 2 Primary system is being used to winnow down the number of candidates in races. WA voters should check their mail over the next few days for their Primary ballot. County elections officials are mailing ballots this week to registered voters. Military and overseas ballots were sent out weeks ago. This year’s Primary voting period ends Aug. 4 and features…

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