We know that many of you are tracking the signature check for Referendum 71 on the Elections Division R-71 webpage http://wei.sos.wa.gov/osos/en/initiativesReferenda/Pages/R-71SignatureStats.aspx . You should know that the reporting of the "error rate" has been changed today to reflect the fact that some of the previously rejected signatures are later reversed by a master-checker. Some signatures… Read more
Secretary of State Sam Reed joined in recognizing and thanking volunteers for the Historical Records project, State Library and State Archives (including its Central Washington branch) for their service. Sam noted that over the past year, more than 10,000 volunteer hours have been tracked – on projects like birth and death returns, marriage, military, nurse applications, school census, naturalization records, and other categories. The event was held Friday at the Yakima Valley Museum.
March is Women’s History Month throughout the U.S. The Library of Congress and other national entities are paying tribute to the generations of women who have made a difference in nation’s history. Here http://womenshistorymonth.gov/ is a link to a Web site about this month-long celebration. There have been many women who lived remarkable lives here in Washington. One is Bertha Knight Landes (1868-1943), who became the first woman to lead a major American city when she was elected mayor… Read more
The Office of Secretary of State wishes you a wonderful holiday weekend celebrating our country. (Also remember that government offices like ours will be closed Friday, July 3, in observance of the holiday. The state also reminds folks that fireworks and wildlands don’t mix, and that fireworks are a no-go on state protected and… Read more
March is Women’s History Month throughout the U.S. The Library of Congress and other national entities are paying tribute to the generations of women who have made a difference in nation’s history. Here http://womenshistorymonth.gov/ is a link to a Web site about this month-long celebration. There have been many women who lived remarkable lives here in Washington. One is Bertha Knight Landes (1868-1943), who became the first woman to lead a major American city when she was elected mayor… Read more
One of the possible reasons why the teen vampire thriller “Twilight” (both the book series and the movie) has been such a hit around Washington is that the book version takes place in Forks, and the movie was shot in Kalama. According to a Seattle P-I story today, the “Twilight” sequel will supposedly be filmed in British Columbia because producers can get a better deal up there. Apparently, our state Legislature doesn’t want that to happen again. The Senate today voted 44-2 to pass House… Read more
After all of the rain we've had this week, it's hard to remember how sunny it was in Olympia last week. Here is a shot of Capitol Lake, Puget Sound and the Olympics taken from the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol Campus. … Read more
As Referendum 71's validation process continues along, the people working at "ground zero" on this closely scrutinized and controversial ballot measure are the signature checkers themselves. Nearly 30 of them are spending long shifts daily at computers in the basement of the Elections Division building, verifying the names, signatures and addresses of those people who signed the petition sheets submitted by R-71 sponsors. (We now have two shifts of workers to speed up the process.) It's up… Read more
