News

OLYMPIA — Registered voters throughout Washington will soon receive ballots for the upcoming Primary Election.

The Primary Election’s 18-day voting period kicks off Friday, July 17, and lasts through election day, Tuesday, Aug. 4. Ballots include a prepaid-postage 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.

Voters are encouraged to mail their completed… Read more

OLYMPIA — The Washington Office of the Secretary of State issued the following response to gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp’s claim that his candidate statement was omitted from the online voters’ guide.

“On May 24, gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp’s campaign manager Christopher Gergen submitted via email a candidate statement to the Office of the Secretary of State’s Elections division. In the email we received, Mr. Gergen claimed he had submitted a candidate statement to our office on two prior… Read more

OLYMPIA — Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Washington state’s “faithless elector” laws. The Office of the Secretary of State won the lower-court rulings in both the state Superior and Supreme courts, and these decisions were supported today by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Secretary of State Kim Wyman was confident that Washington state’s laws would be reaffirmed. “I am pleased to see that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld our role to ensure the popular vote of the people is represented in the electoral votes cast,” she said.

The case,… Read more

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Library (WSL), a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, has been tasked with distributing $688,000 to public and tribal libraries, and museums for COVID-19 response efforts. The funds are part of the $50 million allocated in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to the Institute of Museum and Library Services to assist museums and libraries across the country address the digital divide during the… Read more

OLYMPIA — Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) will once again be able to fulfill audio- and braille-book orders starting Thursday, June 4 after Gov. Jay Inslee approved a waiver for the facility to begin providing limited services.

WTBBL, a program of the Washington State Library under Secretary of State Kim Wyman, has been closed during the… Read more