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Tag: Secretary of State Sam Reed

Reed urges strong Top 2 Primary turnout

Reed urges strong Top 2 Primary turnout

Secretary of State Sam Reed is urging a great turnout for Washington’s Top 2 Primary, which offers voters a chance to pick finalists for Governor, U.S. Congress, Legislature, and many state and local offices.  Tuesday is your deadline for mail ballots to be postmarked or placed in county election dropbox. Reed says the election offers ballot draws for just about everyone: “This is one of those watershed election years, and the action begins with the primary. There are lots of…

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Historical Records Project volunteers honored

Historical Records Project volunteers honored

Volunteers rock! Over 500 volunteers work with the State Library, Legacy Project, State Archives and Historic Records Project to fulfill the Secretary of State’s mission of historical records preservation and public access. Secretary of State Sam Reed honored the army of volunteers at a special appreciation luncheon in Chehalis.  The annual tradition gave the Secretary and project managers a chance to commend the time and talents the volunteers bring to their tasks. The event marks the tenth anniversary of the…

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Charter-school I-1240 qualifies for statewide ballot

Charter-school I-1240 qualifies for statewide ballot

And then there were six. Secretary of State Sam Reed has certified charter-school Initiative 1240 to the November statewide ballot. It will be the fourth time Washington voters have dealt with the issue in the past 16 years. The measure earned a place on the ballot after submitting over 357,000 signatures that sponsors collected in a remarkably short 21-day signature-gathering drive financed by powerful backers, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. With I-1240 getting the green light, Washington voters now will…

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Eyman tax crackdown measure qualifies for ballot

Eyman tax crackdown measure qualifies for ballot

Initiative activist Tim Eyman has secured a spot on the statewide General Election ballot for Initiative 1185, a plan to re-establish a voter mandate for a two-thirds vote in both houses for any taxes passed in Olympia. Even as Secretary of State Sam Reed was signing the certification for I-1185, state Election Division workers were already at work on checking signatures for I-1240, a plan to authorize a limited number of publicly financed charter schools in Washington. That measure, also…

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Reed forecasts better-than-usual Primary turnout

Reed forecasts better-than-usual Primary turnout

Washington’s chief elections official, Secretary of State Sam Reed, is predicting a better-than-usual turnout for the Top 2 Primary that gets underway next week. Reed forecasts a 46 percent turnout – better than the 43 percent average for comparable presidential/gubernatorial years in recent decades. It would be the best voter participation for a primary since 1980, when it was 48 percent. Reed’s reasoning: “The people of Washington are pretty revved up by the campaigns and issues this year and that…

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Charter school fans, Eyman submit initiative sigs

Charter school fans, Eyman submit initiative sigs

State Rep. Eric Pettigrew, D-Seattle, a charter schools supporter, talks with the media after I-1240 signatures were submitted Friday morning. Sponsors of two citizen initiatives have submitted signatures far in excess of the 241,000 bare minimum needed to qualify, and appear to be in good position to make the November statewide ballot. That would bring to six the number of state ballot propositions facing the voters, including gay marriage and marijuana decriminalization. Friday — four months before Election Day —…

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WA primary underway! Military & overseas ballots in mail

WA primary underway! Military & overseas ballots in mail

Over 50,000 ballots are making their way to Washington’s military and overseas voters, the vanguard for the state’s long-awaited August 7 Primary. Katie Blinn, co-director of Elections, has informed the U.S. Department of Justice that all military and overseas ballots went out by last Saturday, in compliance with the federal law that all such voters be sent their ballots at least 45 days before Election Day.  Some were sent by surface mail and others were emailed, depending on the voter’s…

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Visiting cloudy Coupeville

Visiting cloudy Coupeville

Taking his final tour of the northwestern part of our state, Secretary of State Reed is visiting Coupeville, the Island County seat located in the central part of beautiful Whidbey Island.  Reed chatted with Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider and staff at the Island County Courthouse, and took a tour of the Island County Historical Society Museum.  Later this afternoon, Reed will travel to Bellingham. Below is a picture of the Coupeville wharf on this fine, if cool, June-uary morning.

San Juans beckon

San Juans beckon

Secretary of State Sam Reed continues his farewell-and-thank-you tour of Washington — and his latest destination was the visually stunning San Juan Islands.  He flew in a friend’s small plane to Friday Harbor — perfect weather, mountains and sea and islands all around. Reed was breakfast speaker for the Friday Harbor Rotary, with a message of “civility, moderation and bipartisanship” drawing a standing ovation.  Later, San Juan County Auditor Milene Henley introduced Reed to her staff and gave Reed a…

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Secretary Reed in Spokane

Secretary Reed in Spokane

Secretary Reed is in Spokane this week for the annual Elections Conference and other meetings while in the “Lilac City.” On Tuesday, he visited Lewis & Clark High School, where he presented Principal Shawn Jordan with a certificate touting the school’s centennial. Reed also spoke to a history class while visiting the high school. Earlier in the day, Reed spoke to the Downtown Spokane Kiwanis Club.