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Tag: state Elections Director Lori Augino

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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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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WA has lowest ballot rejection rates for military, overseas voters

WA has lowest ballot rejection rates for military, overseas voters

Our Elections Division has long prided itself on helping ensure that our state’s military and overseas voters have access to voting and are not disenfranchised. So we are pleased about the recent news from the Federal Voting Assistance Program that Washington has the lowest ballot rejection rates in the nation for military and overseas voters. The FVAP reports that Washington has a 2 percent rejection rate for these voters, whereas the national average is 6 percent. Some counties in the…

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WA Primary voters give their Top 2 verdicts

WA Primary voters give their Top 2 verdicts

The seventh running of Washington’s Top 2 Primary gave voters the task of  winnowing the field of candidates for scores of state and local offices. The system, used since a voter-approved Top 2 initiative got the green light from the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008, lets voters collectively choose their two favorite candidates for each office to face off in the Nov. 4 General Election. Secretary of State Kim Wyman, the state’s chief elections official, urged a strong turnout, reminding…

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2014 WA Primary: Your vote, your voice

2014 WA Primary: Your vote, your voice

Ten years after Washington voters adopted the Top 2 Primary system by initiative, it’s time for the 2014 edition. Check your mail over the next few days for your Primary ballot.  Although it’s a mid-term election, there are races and propositions that are significant for your community, and we’re hoping for an excellent turnout, state Elections Director Lori Augino said this week. The 2014 Primary actually got under way last month when county election officials sent ballots by mail and…

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Filing Week is under way!

Filing Week is under way!

Incumbent Supreme Court justices Debra Stephens (left) and Mary Fairhurst stop by our executive office in the Legislative Building to file in person Monday morning. Filing Week, that official kickoff of the 2014 campaign/election season, is under way. Three incumbent Supreme Court justices, Charles Johnson, Mary Fairhurst and Debra Stephens, and U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene of the 1st District, were among those at the starting gate, registering in person at the Secretary of State’s Office in the Capitol. Depending on…

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WA 2013 election underway this week

WA 2013 election underway this week

Washington’s general Election Day used to be just that, a single day in November.  Today, it’s an election season of nearly three weeks — and the 2013 edition gets underway this week. Starting Wednesday, Oct. 16, ballots are being mailed to over 3.9 million registered voters — a near-record.  Voters may fill out their ballots right away or hold off awhile. Although election officials recommend returning ballots promptly, the voter does face a Nov. 5 deadline to have their ballot…

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Tuesday’s National Voter Registration Day

Tuesday’s National Voter Registration Day

If you haven’t registered to vote in Washington, Tuesday’s just the prompt you need. Sept. 24 is National Voter Registration Day as designated by the National Association of Secretaries of State and Secretary of State Kim Wyman. Wyman, who sits on the NASS executive board, encourages all eligible Washington citizens who haven’t registered yet to do so in time to vote in the General Election this fall.  Washington has more than 3.9 million active registered voters, well above the 3.5…

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Voters across WA & USA signing up for `incredibly important’ elections

Voters across WA & USA signing up for `incredibly important’ elections

Hoping to boost voter registration, Washington is taking part in a nationwide registration push by the National Association of Secretaries of State. The organization, headed by a board that includes Secretary Kim Wyman, has declared September as National Voter Registration Month and Sept. 24 as National Voter Registration Day.  In Washington state, there are two important deadlines to remember: Oct. 7 is deadline for online registration for new registrations and for updates such as address changes.   And Oct. 28 is…

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New elections award goes to Island Co. Auditor

New elections award goes to Island Co. Auditor

From left: State Elections Director Lori Augino, Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider, Dodie Hanby (sitting) and Loann Gulick. Hanby and Gulick are longtime county elections employees. When State Elections Director Lori Augino told Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider that she was stopping by the Auditor’s Office in Coupeville for a test of the county’s elections system, Augino only hinted to Crider that she was also hand-delivering something to her. It turns out, that “something” was a new award given by…

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