News

OLYMPIA — The Office of the Secretary of State is monitoring reports of suspicious materials in envelopes received by elections officials in King and Okanogan counties.

Local, state, and federal authorities are investigating the incidents, which occurred while election workers were processing ballots from the August 1 Primary election.

A suspicious letter received Monday by the King County Elections office was turned over to the United States Postal Inspection Service, which performed an analysis that detected trace amounts of fentanyl. The Okanogan County… Read more

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has been named Western Region Vice President of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS).

Secretary Hobbs was sworn in Wednesday, July 12, at the NASS 2023 Summer Conference in Washington, D.C.

Founded in 1904, NASS is the nation’s oldest nonpartisan professional organization for public officials. Its members include secretaries of state, lieutenant governors, and chief state election officials from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

“I am honored to have been… Read more

OLYMPIA — For a second year, the Office of the Secretary of State will provide each county’s elections officials with up to $80,000 to improve local election security.

More than $3 million is available statewide through the Information Security Funds program, created by the Office of the Secretary of State to help Washington counties strengthen their election security efforts. Counties can use the funding to purchase or upgrade their security software and hardware, hire IT security personnel, make structural improvements, and more.

“Election security and… Read more

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs issued the following statement on the passing of John McCoy, who for 17 years represented Washington’s 38th Legislative District in the State House of Representatives and State Senate.

“John McCoy’s passion for service to his district and issues that affect all Washingtonians inspired and educated me during our time in the Senate together. It was a privilege to represent a district next to his, and to learn up-close from his dedication and graciousness. As one of Washington’s longest-serving Native American legislators, John was a… Read more

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs issued the following statement on the passing of Don Bonker, who served seven terms representing Washington’s 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1989. 

“On Tuesday, the nation said goodbye to one of Washington’s greatest and most enduring leaders. Rep. Don Bonker’s legacy of service as Clark County Auditor and U.S. Representative, and his steadfast support for the people he was privileged to serve helped shape the future of our state and is an inspiration to generations of Washingtonians.

“We at the… Read more

OLYMPIA — New laws and funding requested and supported by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs during the 2023 Legislative session will help ensure the integrity of Washington’s elections and improve access to the ballot for eligible voters.

The bipartisan elections measures signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee help advance Secretary Hobbs’ top priorities of election security, voter education, and fighting election disinformation.

“These new laws and critical funding will go a long way toward reducing barriers to voter registration and enhancing election security,” Secretary Hobbs… Read more

OLYMPIA — Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs issued the following statement in response to Governor Jay Inslee’s proclamation of a special legislative session.

“As Secretary of State, it is my duty to add the Washington State Seal to Governor Inslee’s proclamation of a special legislative session to establish a policy on drug possession. I support this extraordinary action, which provides the Legislature time and authority to create consistent statewide laws that balance compassion with accountability.

“… Read more

OLYMPIA — State funding is now available to local governments through Washington State Archives’ Local Records Grant Program.

The Local Records Grant Program helps local government agencies upgrade their technological resources for records management and retention, and better respond to public-records requests. Since its inception in 2005, the program has awarded more than  $4 million to hundreds of agencies including cities, towns, and counties; fire, school, hospital, port, and public-utility… Read more

OLYMPIA — Candidate Filing Week is May 15-19, and the Office of the Secretary of State is joining county elections offices across Washington to accept applications for public office. 

Nearly 3,400 local offices across the state are up for election this year, including more than 100 mayorships; many city and county council positions; and port, hospital, water, fire, and parks and recreation districts.

People interested in running for local or county offices may file with the … Read more

SEATTLE — Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), which provides access to information and reading materials for people who are unable to read standard print, is seeking donations during GiveBIG 2023 May 2-3.

WTBBL’s goal is to raise at least $10,000 to support the library’s new podcasting program, which will offer diverse programming including current and timely stories, connect the community with information and resources, highlight authors and library… Read more