News

OLYMPIA — Elections offices in 36 Washington counties have distributed ballots to voters who are eligible to participate in the 2024 February Special Election.

Approximately 45.5% of the state’s 4.8 million registered voters can participate in this election, with 239 local measures to be decided including school bonds and levies, hospital districts, and fire district measures. Every Washington county has at least one jurisdiction participating in the February Special Election except for Asotin, Garfield, and Skamania counties.

Ballots must be… Read more

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs delivered official notification to the Legislature Thursday that signature verification has been completed and certified for the following Initiative to the Legislature:

The signatures on six Initiatives to the Legislature for the 2024 legislative session have been verified by the Office of the Secretary of… Read more

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs delivered official notification to the Legislature Wednesday that signature verification has been completed and certified for the following Initiative to the Legislature:

The signatures on the remaining pending initiative petition is being verified by the Office of the Secretary of State Elections Division using a state-mandated process… Read more

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs delivered official notification to the Legislature Tuesday that signature verification has been completed and certified for the following Initiative to the Legislature:

The signatures on the remaining two pending initiative petitions are being verified by the Office of the Secretary of State Elections Division using a state-mandated… Read more

OLYMPIA — After news reports that registered voters in New Hampshire have received fake phone calls simulating President Joe Biden speaking negatively about the Presidential Primary, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs warned Washington voters that deepfakes are an ongoing threat to elections and the voting public.

In a recording… Read more

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs delivered official notification to the Legislature Thursday that signature verification has been completed and certified for one Initiative to the Legislature:

The signatures on the remaining three pending initiative petitions are being verified by the Office of the Secretary… Read more

OLYMPIA — In accordance with Thursday morning’s ruling by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson, printing of ballots and voters’ pamphlets for the March 12 Presidential Primary will move forward with the candidate lists submitted by both political parties. 

“An order directing the secretary of state to take different action, an order from this court, is simply not supported by the statutes and not supported by the affidavit of the electors,” Judge Wilson said in her ruling.

As directed by state law RCW 29A.56, Secretary of State Steve… Read more

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Library has preserved more than 20 years of music industry history through digitizing The Rocket magazine, a popular Seattle publication that covered music venues and bands.

Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, recently digitized over 16,000 pages of historic newspapers for the Washington Digital Newspapers website, including 333 issues of The Rocket.

The Rocket ran from 1979 to 2000, prior to the popular use of the internet, covering music venues and regional bands from Seattle to… Read more

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs delivered official notification to the Legislature Tuesday that signature verification has been completed and certified for an Initiative to the Legislature:

Previously, Secretary Hobbs notified the Legislature Jan. 11 that signature verification had been completed for Initiative to the Legislature no. 2113. The signatures on the remaining… Read more

OLYMPIA — On Tuesday, Jan. 16, public high schools throughout Washington will observe Temperance and Good Citizenship Day, an annual event created in 1923 to educate future voters about the importance of civic engagement.

In partnership with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Office of the Secretary of State offers resources to support K–12 educators in teaching about the processes and impacts of voting in elections. Educators can find resources at the official  Temperance and Good Citizenship Day websites hosted by the… Read more