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Tag: Iraq

Why we need Internet voting for military

Why we need Internet voting for military

There’s exciting news for members of the National Guard’s 81st Heavy Brigade Combat Team and their families. The unit is coming home after a nine-month deployment in Iraq. Check out these stories in the Yakima Herald-Republic and Seattle Times. The folks in the Office of Secretary of State are among those who are happy about their return. Last summer, our Elections Division organized a major effort to ensure the 81st members were registered to vote before they went overseas.  The brigade, 3,200…

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Filing for office … from Iraq

Filing for office … from Iraq

If you ever need proof that filing for office in Washington State is more convenient than ever, just look at one example in Grays Harbor County. Jeremiah Marsh is completing his two-year term as a Fire District 11 commissioner there. But he also is serving in Iraq as a National Guard member. So filing for office wasn’t doable, right? Wrong. Despite being stationed thousands of miles away from the county courthouse in Montesano, Marsh was able to file for re-election…

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Feeling hot? It’s all relative …

Feeling hot? It’s all relative …

At the Washington Capitol, the sun is out, but folks are still pretty bundled up.  Our colleague, Patrick McDonald, who’s on a tour of duty in Iraq with the Army Reserves as an elections adviser, regularly sends us great slice-of-life photos and info. Today, we got a reminder that summer and unbearable heat has arrived in Baghdad. Says Patrick, “Just in case you think it is too cold, welcome to my world. 80 more days of this!” Baghdad, Iraq: Friday, May 15…

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The latest from our coworker in Iraq…

The latest from our coworker in Iraq…

If you’ve been around the Capitol Campus scene for quite awhile, you likely know Patrick McDonald, who works in our office as special assistant to Secretary of State Sam Reed. (He also happens to be the fellow who was having dinner with Gov. Gregoire in Iraq, while the rest of the country was wondering where she was at last month.)  Patrick is serving in Iraq as part of the Washington National Guard’s 81st Brigade; his role is to assist and consult the Iraqi government…

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