News

OLYMPIA – Nearly 1.9 million registered voters in Washington state have already returned their ballots for the 2022 General Election. Going into the final day of voting, turnout is behind the pace set by the 2018 Presidential midterm election (approximately 39% vs. 48%).

OLYMPIA – In advance of the Nov. 8 General Election, the Office of the Secretary of State has launched the “Vote with Confidence” awareness campaign to inform voters of election security measures and debunk election misinformation. This campaign includes both traditional advertising — which has begun appearing statewide in newspapers, on television, and on city buses — and community-based partnerships with organizations helping to get out the vote.

OLYMPIA — National Voter Education Week is Oct. 3-7, and the Office of the Secretary of State is calling on students and teachers across Washington to participate in the 2022 Student Mock Election.

RENTON — Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and King County Director of Elections Julie Wise provided audiences insight into the layered security protocols that allow Washingtonians to vote with confidence this November.

OLYMPIA — The Productivity Board will convene from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022 in the Columbia Room at the Legislative building.

This is the first convening of the Productivity Board after the state Legislature reinstated the Employee Involvement and Recognition Board during the 2022 Legislative Session.

OLYMPIA — Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, was awarded a $149,668 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

“The Last Cuentista” and “Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk” chosen for the National Center for the Book’s Great Reads from Great Places program

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.