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Tag: Washington Elections

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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Primary ends Tuesday; have you voted?

Primary ends Tuesday; have you voted?

Washington’s 2013 Primary ends Tuesday at 8 p.m., so do it before it’s too late. If you’re waiting until the last minute to return your ballot, Secretary of State Kim Wyman recommends that you NOT put your ballot in the mail. Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day (Aug. 6) in order to be counted, but there is no guarantee that the post office will postmark it in time to count. Wyman, the state’s chief elections officer, says it’s better…

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New section launched on voter page for FAQs

New section launched on voter page for FAQs

Our Elections Division has just made voting even easier by launching new  website information explaining how voters can accomplish tasks that election staffers are frequently asked about. Links to the information can be found here under “I need to” on the Voters section of the Secretary of State’s Elections and Voting web page.  The Voters section also contains information to help special status voters under the subsection “I am a…” Voter Education and Outreach Coordinator JulieAnne Behar calls the additions…

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1st District voters will fill Inslee vacancy

1st District voters will fill Inslee vacancy

Voters in Washington’s 1st Congressional District will choose a successor to Jay Inslee for the final weeks of his two-year term. Gov. Chris Gregoire, with the support of Secretary of State Sam Reed, announced Monday that she is calling a special election to coincide with the regularly scheduled Aug. 7 Top 2 Primary and the Nov. 6 General Election. Democrat Inslee, a 15-year veteran of Congress, resigned effective March 20 to devote full time to his bid for governor. The…

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Political parties ask court to order state-run PCO elections

Political parties ask court to order state-run PCO elections

Washington state Democrats and Republicans have gone to court to try to keep the state in the business of running election of party precinct committee officers.  The case in Thurston County Superior Court is  set for hearing at 9 a.m. on March 23. The parties asked the court on Thursday to set aside new regulations by the Secretary of State’s Elections Division that ends the practice of PCO elections being included on the state Top 2 Primary ballot.  The party…

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WA prez primary cancelled; Top 2 primary still on

WA prez primary cancelled; Top 2 primary still on

Washington state has suspended its 2012 presidential primary in order to save taxpayers over $10 million.  Secretary of State Sam Reed emphasizes that the state’s regular Top 2 Primary in August is “absolutely unaffected.” Legislation requested by Secretary Reed and Gov. Chris Gregoire was signed into law by the governor on Thursday. Both continue to be big fans of the presidential primary as the preferred method of engaging the electorate in picking presidential favorites.  At the bill-signing ceremony, both the…

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WA voters win court approval of Top 2 Primary

WA voters win court approval of Top 2 Primary

Washington’s voter-approved Top 2 Primary system is constitutional, says U.S. District Judge John Coughenour.  The jurist, in an order that dismissed challenges brought by the political parties, ended a decade of litigation over the primary system. Coughenour (pronounced Coo’-now-er) called it “this long-running saga over the form of political elections in Washington.”  Secretary of State Sam Reed and Attorney General Rob McKenna called it a major victory for the voters of Washington. The court did, however, side with the parties…

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Recount range: 2,000 votes apart or less

Recount range: 2,000 votes apart or less

Lots of national press and others are asking about Washington’s recount laws if some of our races end up ultra-close, such as the U.S. Senate contest, the Supreme Court, ballot measures or legislative and congressional races. Short answer:  A mandatory machine recount is triggered if the gap is less than 2,000 votes and less than one-half of 1 percent of the total votes cast for the two sides. A hand recount is triggered for statewide races if the gap is…

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‘Election Day’ is here — be counted!

‘Election Day’ is here — be counted!

Washington’s election season culminates Tuesday, at least until the counting starts.  For all except some poll-site voters in Pierce County, Election Day is really Postmark Day for our ballots. That means if your mail ballot doesn’t have a valid Tuesday postmark, or unless you’ve used a dropoff box or carted your ballot directly in to the county elections office or an official voting center like they’ve opened in King County, it won’t count.  That would be really sad. Secretary of…

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Who’s registered? Who votes?

Who’s registered? Who votes?

Your state Elections Division has produced this fresh look at who’s registered to vote in Washington, by age category.  At the bottom of this post is a look at who turned out for the big 2008 cycle. The results might surprise you. Voter Registration by Age Group and Gender – as of 9-14-10 Age    Gender    Number of Voters 18 – 24 years    Female    161664 18 – 24 years    Male    148758 18 – 24 years    Unknown    1442 18 – 24 years  …

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