News

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has appointed Heather Hirotaka, a longtime public servant, as the next Washington State Archivist, effective July 5, 2022.

OLYMPIA — Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has announced this year’s Election Award winners.

The Secretary of State Election Awards recognize exemplary election workers and counties across the state that engage and educate voters, promote greater election transparency and accountability, and administer secure, accurate, and accessible elections for all Washingtonians.

State Elections Director Stuart Holmes presented the awards at this year’s Washington State Elections Conference in Spokane.

The awards and awardees include:

OLYMPIA — Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) received the 2022 Regional Library of the Year Award from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) May 18.

Each year NLS, part of the Library of Congress, recognizes its national network of libraries for providing outstanding service in their communities. WTBBL was honored for excellence, innovation, and special achievement in serving people who are blind or have a print disability.

OLYMPIA — Candidate Filing Week is May 16-20 for people who want to run for any of the 165 federal, state, and multicounty legislative or judicial offices up for election in Washington this year.

OLYMPIA — Up to $1 million in state funding is now available to local governments 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 management and retention, as well as processes for responding to public-records requests.

OLYMPIA — The Office of the Secretary of State has received multiple reports of third-party canvassers presenting themselves as elections officials and going door-to-door across Washington asking residents about their voter information and other election-related questions.

These canvassers are not affiliated with and do not represent the Office of the Secretary of State, its Elections division, or any of Washington’s 39 county elections offices.

OLYMPIA, Wash. — 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 2022, May 3-4.

WTBBL’s goal is to raise at least $10,000 to support the library’s equipment, collections, and additional programming needs.

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs today launched the 2022 Washington Campus Voting Challenge for colleges and universities statewide.

The Washington Campus Voting Challenge, part of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, is a nonpartisan competition among higher-education institutions to increase voter participation and encourage colleges and universities to help students form the habits of active and informed citizenship.

Funding enables the Office of the Secretary of State to strengthen election security, fight election disinformation, enhance voter education, and preserve vital state records and archives

OLYMPIA — The 2022 state budget, awaiting Governor Inslee’s signature, enables the Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) to strengthen election security, counter misleading and harmful election disinformation, and enhance voter education.

OLYMPIA — Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs encourages Washingtonians to do their due diligence and conduct research on the charities or nonprofits to which they donate to support relief efforts in Ukraine.

“Americans are a generous people. Whenever a tragedy or crisis occurs around the world, we express our compassion by donating to any number of honest, legitimate charities,” said Secretary Hobbs. “These charities have the resources and infrastructure to ensure the money we contribute directly supports their designated causes.”