Browsed by
Category: Elections

Elections

Guns & history of initiatives to the Legislature

Guns & history of initiatives to the Legislature

It appears that the two gun-related initiatives to the Legislature (I-591 and I-594) will be forwarded to the fall ballot. Both measures received legislative hearings and, as most observers predicted, no further action has been taken, meaning the initiatives’ fate appears to be up to the voters. Mail ballots go out in mid-October and are due back by Nov. 4. It is pretty rare in our 100-year history of “direct democracy” for the Legislature to adopt initiatives to the Legislature,…

Read More Read More

Wyman urges more time for online registration

Wyman urges more time for online registration

Secretary Wyman listens as Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon testifies before the Senate  Government Operations Committee on HB 1267, the voter registration deadline bill that he has prime-sponsored. (Photo courtesy of Gracelin Moore) A bill seeking to change voter registrations deadlines before a Primary or General Election has drawn the support of Secretary of State Wyman, the state’s chief elections official. House Bill 1267 would extend the online registration deadline to 11 days before the election, rather than the current 29 days….

Read More Read More

2014 Voters’ Pamphlet Art Contest is on!

2014 Voters’ Pamphlet Art Contest is on!

Here is the winning artwork for the 2013 Voters’ Pamphlet Art Contest.   (Image courtesy of Elections Division) The Office of Secretary of State invites students in grades 4 and 5 to enter the 2014 Voters’ Pamphlet Art Contest. This year’s contest theme is “Happy Birthday, Washington!” to celebrate the 125th anniversary of statehood. Washington was admitted as the 42nd state in the Union by President Benjamin Harrison on November 11, 1889. Over a century later, Washingtonians are known nationwide for…

Read More Read More

Need list of proposed constitutional amendments? We got it

Need list of proposed constitutional amendments? We got it

You’d be hard-pressed to find a year when there hasn’t been at least one legislative proposal introduced in Olympia to amend the Washington Constitution. Most of these measures, known as House or Senate joint resolutions, fail to receive the full Legislature’s approval and thus be placed before Washington voters. But there are years when such a measure gets the necessary two-thirds vote in both houses, giving Washington voters the final say on whether to change our state constitution. If you’re…

Read More Read More

Second gun initiative certified

Second gun initiative certified

  Boxes of Initiative 591 signatures were delivered to the Elections Division of the Office of Secretary of State in late November.  (UPDATE: Fixes number of signatures filed for I-591) Secretary of State Kim Wyman has officially certified Initiative 591 to go before the legislature this session. I-591 is the second gun-related measure before the legislature and would prohibit government agencies from requiring background checks on firearm recipients unless a uniform national standard is required. Sponsors of I-591 submitted 349,860…

Read More Read More

February special election is under way

February special election is under way

Voters have begun casting their ballots for the February special election in Washington. Registered voters have until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, to return their ballots at voting centers, drop boxes or by mail. All mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and require first-class postage. If you haven’t registered to vote in Washington but want to vote in the February election, you have until Feb. 3 to register in person at your county elections department. Elections will…

Read More Read More

Wyman certifies I-594; I-591 check starting soon

Wyman certifies I-594; I-591 check starting soon

Secretary of State Wyman certifies the results of Initiative 594 in her office. (Photo courtesy of Laura Mott) One down, one to go. Soon after our Elections Division’s signature checkers finished reviewing a small sample of Initiative 594 signatures, Secretary of State Kim Wyman officially certified the results of the check Wednesday. I-594 would require universal background checks on gun purchases. Our Elections Division reported that 346,834 signatures were submitted, far over the minimum requirement of 246,372 valid voter signatures….

Read More Read More

I-594 signature check begins

I-594 signature check begins

A checker counts some of the signatures submitted for I-594. (Photo courtesy Lindsay Pryor) Initiative I-594, one of two rival initiatives to the 2014 Legislature dealing with gun control, is now undergoing a signature check. Our Elections Division has a team of signature checkers who began working on Initiative 594 on Thursday. I-594 would require universal background checks on gun purchases in Washington. The initiative would expand on current federal gun laws that apply to licensed dealers but not private…

Read More Read More

Student Voter Registration Day Thursday

Student Voter Registration Day Thursday

In observance of Temperance and Good Citizenship Day, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Office of Secretary of State will provide all eligible  high school students the opportunity to register to vote at school this Thursday. The event is meant to promote civics education and peaceful citizen engagement. Helping every student in Washington register to vote is an important part of that process, said Secretary of State Kim Wyman. “Though many students would hate the idea of…

Read More Read More