News

OLYMPIA — National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday, Sept. 28, and Secretary of State Kim Wyman is encouraging all eligible Washingtonians to register to vote in time for the Nov. 2 General Election.

“Your vote matters – especially this year. Non-presidential elections are important because many of the candidates and issues on your ballot are local and will have a greater impact on your everyday life,” said Secretary Wyman. “So if you’re eligible to vote and haven’t registered, or you need to update your registration, visit… Read more

OLYMPIA — Registered voters across Washington will soon receive ballots for the upcoming Primary Election, Tuesday, Aug. 3.

The Primary Election’s 18-day voting period begins Friday, July 16, and lasts through election day. Ballots include a prepaid-postage return envelope, so people who return their ballots via U.S. mail do not have to pay for a stamp. Voters who place their ballots in an official drop box must do so by 8 p.m. on election day. Drop box locations may be found at VoteWA.gov.

Secretary of State Kim Wyman… Read more

OLYMPIA — During a Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) system upgrade July 2-5, online voter registration and updates will be unavailable at VoteWA.gov.

Washingtonians who wish to update their registration or register to vote during the DOL system upgrade may download and print forms directly from the Office of the Secretary of State’s elections website. Those who have already registered to vote, however, can still look up their voter-registration information by… Read more

OLYMPIA — Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, announced that more than $3.67 million will be made available to help public, academic, and tribal libraries and museums statewide.

The funding is part of the $200 million allocated in the American Rescue Plan Act to the Institute of Museum and Library Services in response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington State Library will award grants to help museums and libraries implement and sustain public health protocols, and defray technology, personnel, training, supplies,… Read more

SALEM, Ore., and OLYMPIA, Wash. — A new partnership in Oregon and Washington is helping local cultural institutions make their digital archives more visible and accessible nationwide.

Northwest Digital Heritage (NWDH), a Washington State Library, State Library of Oregon, and Oregon Heritage Commission collaboration, is now a Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) “service hub.” This gives local galleries, libraries, museums, research institutions, historical societies, and others in both states the opportunity to upload their digitized collections onto DPLA’s extensive library of… Read more

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Kim Wyman is seeking clarification from Thurston County Superior Court about the order in which two acts signed into law simultaneously by Gov. Jay Inslee should be filed.

The two acts in question are Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1336 and Second Substitute Senate Bill 5383, both of which were signed simultaneously by the governor on May 13 according to his office. Under RCW 44.22.020… Read more

OLYMPIA — During Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW), May 2-8, Secretary of State Kim Wyman joined the Office of Financial Management (OFM) and others to recognize Washington employees who have gone above and beyond in public service.

This year, public employees were nominated for either the Extra Mile Award or the Excellence in Washington State Government Leadership Award. Out of the 400 nominees, 30 recipients were chosen and recognized during a virtual ceremony. They will also be listed on the Public Service Recognition Week webpage at … Read more

OLYMPIA — Candidate Filing Week is May 17-21, and the Office of the Secretary of State is joining county election offices across Washington to accept applications for public office.

People interested in running for a local or county office may file with the county elections office in which the position resides. For filing instructions, candidates should contact their respective county elections office.

There are more than 3,200 county… Read more

OLYMPIA — Nearly $650,000 in state funding is now available to local governments statewide through the Local Records Grant Program.

Administered by Washington State Archives, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, the Local Records Grant Program helps local-government agencies and entities upgrade the technological resources needed to improve their records retention, management, and public records request response processes.

The program was enacted by the state… Read more

The offices of Secretaries of State Kim Wyman (R-WA) and Jena Griswold (D-CO) have released the following statement as Congress pursues a new jobs and infrastructure bill to recover from the COVID-19 economic downturn.

“In 2016 when elections and voting systems were designated as part of our nation’s critical infrastructure, the federal government affirmed the importance of conducting secure and accurate elections for our democracy. Now, Congress has an opportunity to further bolster defenses for our electoral processes by ensuring election administrators are funded as part of its… Read more