Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts

Secretary of State issues statement on Culp campaign claims of ‘anomalies’ in 2020 General Election

Saturday, December 5, 2020

OLYMPIA — Following a Facebook Live video posted by gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp, in which attorney Stephen Pidgeon, Ph.D., alleged over 800,000 votes were tallied than eligible voters who appear in the voter registration database, Secretary of State Kim Wyman issued the following statement:


Secretary of State Kim Wyman 
answers allegations from failed
gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp
“Gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp, and now attorney Stephen Pidgeon, have made sweeping claims about alleged voter fraud committed in the 2020 General Election without providing any substantive evidence. 

"If Mr. Culp, his attorney, or anyone else believes they have evidence of fraud, I urge them to report their findings to their county election officials and the Secretary of State’s Office. As a member of law enforcement who purports to have evidence of felonies, Mr. Culp should be duty-bound to provide that evidence to the appropriate authorities so these cases can be investigated by county sheriffs and prosecutors, and possibly the FBI.

“Mr. Pidgeon’s claim that only 3.2 million people voted in the 2020 general election is false. Nearly 4.2 million people voted in the Nov. 3 election. No evidence has been presented to suggest that 10,000 ballots were cast for deceased voters, or 300,000 people who moved out of Washington state fraudulently voted as Mr. Pidgeon alleges.

“Voter-roll maintenance is conducted on an ongoing basis by county election officials. The Office of the Secretary of State works with county election officials, the Department of Licensing, the Department of Health, the Department of Corrections, the Office of the Administrator of the Courts, the Social Security Administration, and the Electronic Registration Information Center to improve the accuracy of voter registration data. 

"Each month, the Office of the Secretary of State receives a list of deceased people from the Department of Health and the Social Security Administration. These lists are compared to the voter registration list. Potential matches are flagged for research by the county elections offices and are removed if the person is found to be deceased. If evidence is found someone voted on behalf of a deceased person, county election officials forward that information to the county sheriff and prosecutor for further investigation and potential prosecution.

“County election officials work with their mailing vendors to modify the format of mailing addresses included in the voter registration database to ensure the U.S. Postal Service equipment can read and sort accurately using CASS-certified address validation software. This process ensures the ballots will be mailed to the proper address using the most efficient route, not that the addresses were invalid as claimed by the Culp campaign.

“We have safeguards in place before, during, and after each election, and conduct numerous audits throughout to ensure all election functions and processes are operating properly and accurately.

“Before any system can be certified for use, it must be tested by an Election Assistance Commission- accredited, independent testing authority. There are currently two laboratories that provide this testing at the federal level — Pro V&V, Inc. and SLI Compliance, a division of Gaming Laboratories International, LLC. Then, prior to use in Washington state, election systems undergo review by our independent state Election System Certification Board. All systems in use in Washington state have undergone this testing by both state and federal authorities.

“Also prior to every election, including the 2020 General Election, the Office of the Secretary of State presides over tests performed by county election offices to ensure the accuracy of the vote-counting equipment.

Loren Culp lost the gubernatorial
election and is alleging fraud.
“Franklin County is the only county in Washington state that uses a version of Dominion Voting Systems software and hardware. The system in use has been certified, and no issues have been identified.

“After an election, officials conduct rigorous post-election processes such as auditing voting machines and voting precincts to actual ballots cast. County election offices perform post-election audits during election week that are open to the public for observation. This is standard for all elections, and helps ensure the results they certify later in the month are accurate.

“Though election officials use tabulation equipment to count ballots, every ballot processed and tabulated is a paper ballot, which provides a verifiable paper trail for auditing purposes. After Election Day, counties conduct audits across multiple precincts, during which they confirm the manual tallies match the totals tabulated by the machine. In Franklin County, this confirmed the version of Dominion Voting Systems software they used functioned properly and accurately.

“Additionally, neither the Dominion software in use in Franklin County nor any software used throughout the state relies on any technology provided by Smartmatic. In fact, Smartmatic released information last month about its supposed connection to election systems throughout the country.

“The Office of the Secretary of State takes allegations of voter fraud seriously. If anyone has evidence of voter fraud being committed in Washington state, I implore you to provide that evidence to your county elections official and/or the Office of the Secretary of State.”



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Secretary of State’s Office certifies 2020 General Election

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Kim Wyman,
Secretary of State
OLYMPIA — More Washingtonians voted in the 2020 General Election than in any election in the state’s history.

According to vote totals certified today by Secretary of State Kim Wyman, 4,116,894, or 84.14%, of Washington’s 4,892,871 registered voters made their voices heard Nov. 3. The 84.14% turnout rate is less than half a percent shy of the all-time record (84.61%, set in the 2008 General Election).

“Throughout this election season, voters were energized, engaged, and eager to make their voices heard,” said Wyman. “The nearly 4.2 million people who cast their ballots felt empowered to exercise their right to vote, and have a say in their future and the future of our country.”

Wyman thanked Washington’s election officials and the local, state, and federal agencies that helped ensure a safe and secure election that balanced better access and greater security.

“Our 39 county election officials worked tirelessly to process and count more ballots than this state has ever seen,” she said. “We believe this election’s success is also due to our strong relationships with the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, U.S. Postal Service, and Washington National Guard that helped secure our elections and earn voter confidence.”

Also contributing to this historic turnout was the state’s efforts to register more voters. In the two weeks leading up to Election Day, over 55,000 people registered to vote. Nearly 20% of them were able to register on Election Day, thanks to Washington’s same-day voter-registration laws.

Eligible Washingtonians can register to vote or update their registration online at VoteWA.gov, or by U.S. mail or in person at a county elections office.

For more election information, including results, statistics, and voter resources, visit sos.wa.gov/elections.



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King County Elections certifies the 2020 General Election results; 86% record-breaking voter turnout

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Photo courtesy King County Elections


King County Elections (KCE) certified the county’s 2020 general election results, marking the official end of vote counting.

Out of 1.4 million registered voters in King County, 86.67% turned out this election, breaking the last record of 85% in 2012.

  • 909,000 (73.9%) voters returned their ballots to ballot drop boxes
  • 307,000+ (24.98%) returned by mail
  • 13,500+  (1.1%) by fax

A little over 10,000 (0.85%) ballots were rejected for signature issues, and 707 (0.06%) were returned too late, making up just 0.91% of total ballots.

Final results are posted on the Elections’ webpage.

Said KCE Director Julie Wise, “This election is a testament to the effectiveness of our vote-by-mail system in carrying out the will of the people — even during a global pandemic. 
"None of this is possible without the hundreds of Elections’ staff working around the clock to process and count every single ballot, and of course, the King County voters who showed up and made their voices heard.”

KCE has worked to increase voter turnout by improving voter access and convenience in often overlooked and under-resourced communities. In 2016, King County had 10 drop boxes; today, the county has a total of 73.

This year voters turned out earlier than previous general elections, returning over 244,000 ballots within the first five days of the return period.

The results were certified during Tuesday’s canvassing board meeting. Livestreamed from KCE’s Facebook Page (KCElections), board members Julie Wise, Kevin Wright of the prosecuting attorney’s office and Carolyn Busch, chief of staff for King County Council, presided over the election’s certification.

With just a 57-ballot difference, the race for the 5th Legislative District state Senate seat is up for a hand recount. Hand recounts are required when the vote total difference between two candidates is less than 150 votes and less than 0.25% of the total number of votes cast for both candidates.

“The recount will take place at our headquarters in Renton and will be open to observers from both major political parties and campaigns,” added Wise. “We’ll begin the recount in December and expect it to take about two weeks to count the estimated 100,000 ballots.”

Featuring an 18-inch ballot, the general election was comprised of 64 races, with a total of 118 federal and state candidates, as well as 22 measures, with 16 local and six state. Included were state, county, city, school and special purpose district measures.



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King county elections to livestream election certification on November 24

Thursday, November 19, 2020

King County Elections cancelled the Canvassing Board meeting, scheduled for 1:30pm, on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 because there weren't any ballots left to review. 

The next meeting will be on Certification Day, November 24 at 3pm, which will be held over Zoom and livestreamed on their Facebook page.


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LFP takes to the streets to celebrate the election

Saturday, November 7, 2020



People took to the streets all over the United States to celebrate the outcome of the presidential election.

In Lake Forest Park, they gathered at the corner of Ballinger Way and Bothell Way. Glen Milner, who sent these photos, said "Folks driving by were expressing their excitement."


"When I went to the street corner this morning in Lake Forest Park, I knew that Joe Biden had won but it completely escaped my thoughts that there would be a spontaneous celebration. I hope this will be a new and positive turning point for our world."



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With few exceptions most incumbents on our ballots win handily

Tuesday, November 3, 2020


Considering the lopsided results in the primary election, it is no surprise that most incumbents on our ballots won re-election.

The 46th legislative district includes Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, and Lake City as well as a large section of northeast Seattle.

Rep. Gerry Pollet and Rep. Javier Valdez handily won re-election to the state legislature.

In the 32nd legislative district which includes Shoreline and part of south Snohomish county, Rep. Cindy Ryu and Rep. Lauren Davis will continue their work in Olympia.

Congressmember Pramila Jayapal will continue to represent the 7th congressional district in the Federal House of Representatives.

At the state level, these were the winners / leaders:
  • Governor Jay Inslee will serve a third term.
  • Lt. Governor - in this open seat, Denny Heck leads Marko Liias by a wide margin
  • Secretary of State Kim Wyman narrowly leads challenger Gael Tarleton 52 - 48%
  • State Treasurer incumbent Duane Davidson seems headed for defeat by Mike Pellicciotti
  • State Auditor Patrice McCarthy
  • Attorney General Bob Ferguson
  • Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz
  • Superintendent of Public Schools Chris Reykdal fended off a challenger to continue overseeing Washington's schools.
  • Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler


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80% of King County ballots in by Election Day

Evan Smith
Reporter

By Evan Smith

More than 80 percent of King County ballots have already arrived at the county elections office in Renton.

County ballot-return statistics show that more than 1.1 million ballots had arrived at the elections office in Renton by 6pm Tuesday, November 3, 2020. 

That’s 80.45 percent of the county’s 1.4 million registered voters with mail-in ballots still outstanding.

Local voters are returning ballots at a faster rate than the countywide average.

Voters in Shoreline and the part of northwest Seattle in the 32nd Legislative District had a ballot-return rate through Tuesday of 81.28 percent.

In Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and the part of northeast Seattle in the 46th Legislative District the ballot-return rate is 84.33 percent.

Voters in Woodway, Lynnwood and the parts of Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace in the Snohomish County portion of the 32nd Legislative District have a return rate of 75.05 percent.



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Secretary of State: What to expect for results reporting on election night

From the Office of the Washington Secretary of State

More than 3 million registered voters in Washington state have already returned their ballots for the 2020 General Election. 

Turnout is well ahead of the pace set at this point in 2016.

“With such high participation already this election, we know voters are eager to learn the results,” said Lori Augino, elections director, Office of the Secretary of State. 
“Please be patient; results reporting is not instantaneous and there are processes in place to ensure the results are displayed accurately.”

Ballots are not tabulated by counties until after the voting period closes at 8pm on Election Day, November 3. 2020. 

Following the initial results release on election night, no further results will be reported until November 4. Washington’s largest counties will post updated results daily while counties with a population of less than 75,000 are required to report at least every three days.

Results will be regularly posted throughout the 21-day certification window. Each county will post their next tabulation date and time along with how many estimated ballots they have left on-hand to process each time they update their results.

Results are not final until counties certify them on Nov. 24. The Secretary of State has until Dec. 3 to certify the 2020 General Election returns.

“After Election Day, county election offices will continue working diligently to count every valid vote throughout the entire certification period,” said Julie Anderson, Pierce County Auditor. “This is a normal and expected process during any given election.”

On election night, each of the 39 county election offices will release results shortly after 8 p.m. At that time, counties will tabulate all of the ballots with signatures that have been processed; the signature on the ballot envelope must match the signature on the voter’s registration record in order to be counted.

County election offices will post a PDF copy of the results to their respective websites, and will upload the results to the state’s VoteWA portal, ensuring the results uploaded match the PDF copy of the results. A copy of the PDF is provided to the Office of the Secretary of State’s elections staff, who perform an additional review of the PDF against the results posted online.

Most counties will have PDF results posted on their webpage before the Office of the Secretary of State is able to display statewide results, as they undergo additional auditing and cybersecurity checks.

County election officials estimate the results released on election night will account for as much as 60% of the state’s ballots expected for the 2020 General Election.

Counties will continue to receive valid ballots by mail after Nov. 3. Any ballot postmarked on Nov. 3 or earlier is considered on-time and will be processed.

Voters have until 8pm November 3, 2020 to place their marked ballots in one of over 500 drop boxes statewide. Drop-box locations can be found on the Office of the Secretary of State’s official website or by visiting VoteWA.gov, Washington’s online voter portal.

Note about write-in votes: 

Counties report the total number of write-in votes on tabulation reports. Results on Election Day will only include a single generic ‘write-in’ category. If the total number of write-in votes for an office is more than the apparent winner of the race, then write-in votes will be tallied during the 21 day certification period of the election for each declared write-in candidate in the race.
  • If a declared candidate receives enough votes to be elected, their name shall appear on the certified election results.
  • If an office has a declared candidate and:
    • The total number of write-in votes is not enough to tally write-in votes, the votes for individual write-in candidates shall not be part of the official results certified by the canvassing board. Individual vote totals will not be displayed on certification documents or unofficial election results for that candidate.
    • The total number of write-in votes requires a tally of votes for declared write-in candidates. The total of votes cast for each declared write-in candidate shall be included in the official results certified by the canvassing board.


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King county elections: over 1 million ballots returned

Monday, November 2, 2020

Photo courtesy King County Elections


King county elections sent out a cheerful tweet:

Hey King County. We’re at over 1 million ballots returned! 
We’ve had over 70% of voters turnout so far. 
Let’s keep em’ coming and #hit90 percent.

Return your ballot to your nearest drop box anytime before November 3, 8pm sharp.



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Attorney General: Federal judge orders USPS to perform nightly sweeps for ballots in areas where delivery has slowed

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Photo courtesy USPS

A federal judge in Yakima has ordered the U.S. Postal Service to perform nightly sweeps for ballots in areas where data showed unacceptably low on-time delivery rates in the week leading up to election day.

U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Bastian’s order came after Attorney General Bob Ferguson requested a hearing Friday to update the court after data supplied this week by the Postal Service showed “consistently poor Election Mail performance data in certain regions.”

Judge Bastian’s order requires the Postal Service to perform nightly sweeps for ballots in Wisconsin and the Detroit region in Michigan, and to take “extraordinary measures” to deliver ballots in time to be counted, after the data showed on-time delivery rates lagging in those areas.

“Every vote must be counted,” Ferguson said. “Our democracy depends on it.”

Generally, election mail delivery has improved since Ferguson won his injunction in September. But some areas continue to experience delays. For example, the data show that on-time delivery of ballots sent by voters in Michigan’s Detroit District has dipped as low as 57 percent over the past week. By comparison, national on-time delivery has been at 93 percent or higher.

“The reported data still show that the Postal Service is failing to timely deliver a significant number of trackable ballots, and that such ballots remain undelivered to voters or will not be delivered to elections officials in time to be counted,” Ferguson wrote in his request last night for the hearing.

On Sept. 17, Judge Bastian granted Ferguson’s motion for a nationwide injunction in the case, forcing the U.S. Postal Service to immediately halt its drastic operational changes while the case progressed. That injunction required the Postal Service to take “extraordinary measures” to accelerate the delivery of ballots.

Case background HERE 



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Ballot drop boxes open in Shoreline, LFP, around county

Saturday, October 31, 2020

Ballot drop box 192nd and Aurora in
Shoreline park n ride
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Local voters can return their ballots to ballot drop boxes 24 hours per day through 8pm on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

King County has 24-hour drop boxes at 73 sites, including two in Shoreline and one in Lake Forest Park.

Here are some of the nearby drop boxes:
  • Shoreline Library 345 NE 175th St, Shoreline (Due to construction the ballot drop box has moved to the lower parking lot of the library right off of NE 175th St - no left turn from westbound 175th)
  • Shoreline Park and Ride, 18821 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline
  • Lake Forest Park City Hall, 17425 Ballinger Way NE, Lake Forest Park
  • Kenmore City Hall, 18120 68th Ave NE, Kenmore
  • Lake City Library, 12501 28th Ave NE Seattle
  • North Seattle College (south visitor lot access from N 95th St), 9600 College Way N, Seattle
  • Broadview Library, 12755 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle
  • Ballard Branch Library, Corner of NW 57th St and 22nd Ave NW, Seattle 
  • Waterway 19 Park (next to Gas Works Park), 2119 N Northlake Way, Seattle
  • Green Lake Community Center, 7201 E Green Lake Dr N, Seattle
  • King County Administration Building, 500 4th Ave, Seattle

County elections officials ask voters to plan ahead to avoid lines.

--Evan Smith



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Vote in person at vote centers


Voters in Shoreline, Lake Forest Park and the rest of King County can cast their votes in person Saturday, Monday or Tuesday at any of a dozen vote centers around the county, including one in Kenmore.

New Washington voters can register at the centers through Election Day.

Voters who need assistance completing their ballots can get help from trained staff members or use specialized designed to help voters with disabilities cast private, independent ballots.

  • A vote center at the Kenmore City Hall, 18120 68th Ave NE, Kenmore, is open Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020 from 10am to 4pm; Monday, Nov. 2, from 8:30am to 6pm; and Election Day, Nov. 3, from 8:30am to 8pm.
  • At the King County Elections office 919 SW Grady Way, Renton, the vote center is open Saturday from 10am to 4pm, Monday from 8:30am to 6pm, and Tuesday, Election Day, from 8:30am to 8pm.
  • A vote center at the County Elections Annex, King County Administration Building, 500 4th Ave, Room 440, is open Friday, Monday and Tuesday from 8:30am to 1pm and 2pm to 4:30pm.
  • A vote center at the CenturyLink Field Event Center, 800 Occidental Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134, is open Saturday from 10am to 4pm; Monday from 8:30am to 6pm; and Tuesday, Election Day from 8:30am to 8:00pm. Voters use the drive-up entrance at 2100 S Royal Brougham Way, or the walk-in entrance on the corner of Occidental Ave S and S Royal Brougham Way.
  • A vote center at the University of Washington’s Dempsey Indoor Center on Walla Walla Road, is open Saturday from 10am to 4pm; Monday from 8:30am to 6pm; and Election Day, Tuesday from 8:30am to 8pm. Voter parking is available in both E21 and E9 lots. Most voters should plan to park in E21. E9 has a limited number of spaces available, including some ADA-compliant spaces, and is reserved for those with mobility issues.
  • On Election Day, Tuesday, a vote center at the King County Chinook Building, 401 5th Ave, Room 124, will be open from 8:30am to 8pm.


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908,000 King County ballots already in by Thursday

Photo courtesy King county elections

More than 908,000 King County ballots arrived at the county elections office in Renton by Thursday. 

King County ballot-return statistics show that 908,299 ballots had arrived at the elections office in Renton by 6pm Thursday, October 29, 2020. That’s 64.45 percent of the county’s 1.4 million registered voters.

Local voters are returning ballots at a faster rate than the county as a whole.

Voters in Shoreline and the parts of northwest Seattle that are in the 32nd Legislative District had a ballot-return rate through Thursday of 67.89 percent.

In Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and the part of northeast Seattle in the 46th Legislative District the ballot-return rate is 70.81 percent.

Voters in Woodway, Lynnwood and the parts of Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace in the Snohomish County portion of the 32nd Legislative District have a return rate of 57.18 percent.

--Evan Smith





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Councilmember Dembowski: Kenmore Vote Center opens Saturday

Friday, October 30, 2020


From King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski

Thanks to the record breaking numbers of you returning your ballots, voter turnout in King County is already around 64%! If you are not yet registered to vote, it’s not too late.

Six Vote Centers operated by King County Elections will open this Saturday, October 31, 2020. These six special Vote Centers are located throughout King County, and they are in addition to King County Elections headquarters in Renton.


Kenmore City Hall. Photo by Steven H. Robinson


I am pleased that North King County residents can visit a Vote Center located at Kenmore City Hall, beginning this Saturday from 10:00am – 4:00pm, then Monday from 8:30am - 6:00pm, and Election Day from 8:30am - 8:00pm. 18120 68th Ave NE, Kenmore 98028.


King County residents can visit a Vote Center or the King County Elections headquarters to register to vote up until 8pm on election day, update their voter records, and request and receive a replacement ballot.

Additionally, trained King County Elections staff and specialized equipment will be available to help voters with disabilities cast a private, independent ballot.

You can find a full list of Vote Centers and their operating hours here.



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No ballots have been rejected: VoteWA.gov is the official voter information portal for Washington state


With the 2020 General Election five days away, the Office of the Secretary of State is reminding voters that VoteWA.gov, the state’s voter registration and information portal, is the official source to check the status of their ballots.

Over the past few days an unofficial website, votewashington.info, has been referred to on social media platforms as a source for voters to find information about whether their ballot has been rejected. 

The Office of the Secretary of State issued a statement on social media platforms Tuesday morning, noting the site was reported to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as misinformation, and that is was not a verifiable source of election information.

Officials with DHS were able to identify the site developers, and coordinated a virtual meeting between them and the Office of the Secretary of State Wednesday afternoon. Wyman issued the following statement.

“In an age where misinformation and disinformation can spread so rapidly, it’s critical election officials remain vigilant and amplify trusted sources for elections information. The Office of the Secretary of State takes any concerns shared with the office seriously, and works with federal security partners to quell the spread of inaccurate or misleading information regarding elections and voting.
“I appreciate the developers of votewashington.info coming to the table to discuss the concerns my office had with the site and to share more about how and why the site was created. 
"They shared with me that the site was not created for nefarious purposes, and confirmed the site used data from the publicly available Voter Registration Database and daily ballot return statistics, or ‘matchback,’ file my office updates each weekday during an election period. 
"These files may be accessed from the Secretary of State’s Office’s official website; the votewashington.info developers did not coordinate with the Office on the development of their site.
“Most concerning, the website produces a potentially misleading list that is not updated in real-time of Washington voters whose ballots have been ‘rejected’. 

"No ballot that has been returned for the 2020 General Election has been rejected. The term ‘rejected’ is a system code that signals to county election officials the ballot cannot be tabulated until the issue has been resolved. 

"Most often, ballots marked as ‘rejected’ are missing a signature or the signature applied does not match the one on file in the voter’s registration record. 

"County election officials reach out to voters whose ballots are missing signatures or the signature does not match to resolve the error. 

"Voters have until 20 days after Election Day to ‘cure’ their signature.



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Free Meditation offered from Mindful Paths to help ease Election Day stress

Linette Bixby
Mindful Paths

Free Meditation offered from Mindful Paths to help ease Election Day stress

It remains the center of conversation this week – the election and the amount of stress everyone is feeling about the outcome. 

A contentious election can cause apocalyptic thinking. The mind can create movies of “What if?” and “Then what?.” This cycle of thinking can start a continuous loop of thoughts that feel scary, are anxiety provoking and create a feeling of “dis-ease” in our bodies.

Bring your thoughts back into a controlled state. Think about what you CAN control – not a fictional movie of what MIGHT happen.

This coming Tuesday, November 3, 2020 Linette Bixby from Mindful Paths will be offering THREE free thirty minute meditation times that will be dedicated to helping calm election day anxiety.

Join her at 8am; 12 noon; and 5pm for a mental health break that will help you breathe with composure the rest of the day.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020 - 8am, 12pm, and 5pm

Must sign up in advance to receive zoom link at https://www.linettebixby.com/book-online



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833,000 King County ballots already in

Thursday, October 29, 2020

More than 833,000 King County ballots have already arrived at the county elections office in Renton.

King County ballot-return statistics show that 833,168 ballots had arrived at the elections office in Renton by 6pm Wednesday. That’s 59.12 percent of the county’s 1.4 million registered voters.

Local voters are returning ballots at a faster rate than the county as a whole.

Voters in Shoreline and the parts of northwest Seattle that make up the King County part of the 32nd Legislative District had a ballot-return rate through Wednesday of 62.59 percent.

In Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and the part of northeast Seattle in the 46th Legislative District the ballot-return rate is 65.77 percent.

Voters in Woodway, Lynnwood and the parts of Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace in the Snohomish County portion of the 32nd Legislative District have a ballot-return rate of 53.32 percent.

--Evan Smith



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King County Elections, CenturyLink Field, and Seattle Seahawks open Vote Center this Saturday at CenturyLink Field Event Center

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

The CenturyLink Field Event Center is a Vote Center

King County Elections, CenturyLink Field, and the Seattle Seahawks are proud to once again partner to host a Vote Center in the CenturyLink Field Event Center (map). 

The Event Center was also utilized in this year’s August Primary and will provide voters who still need to register, get a replacement ballot, or receive other assistance in-person to do so in the days leading up to Election Day.

The CenturyLink Field Vote Center will be open on 
  • Saturday, October 31, 
  • Monday, November 2, and 
  • Tuesday, November 3 for the upcoming Presidential election. 

King County Elections will offer drive-up service for those arriving in their vehicles, as well provide service and assistance to those arriving via transit or by foot.


Voters are encouraged to wear a mask while inside the Event Center and will be provided with one should they need. King County Elections staff will be masked, wearing gloves, and equipped with face shields to deter the spread of COVID-19.

“All voters deserve to have their voices heard, no matter where they stand on the issues. It is critical to cast your ballot and stand up for what you believe in. We are proud to be a partner to King County Elections to make sure that can happen for voters and fans in our region,” said David Young, Seahawks Senior Vice President of Business Operations and General Manager of CenturyLink Field. 

King county election counting

The partnership between organizations started in 2019, as CenturyLink Field reached the voting age of 18. In 2019, CenturyLink Field and the Seahawks hosted King County Elections staff and drop boxes at select home games to reach fans and engage them in local elections. 

In 2020, the partnership has strengthened further with the Seahawks and CenturyLink Field playing an invaluable role in amplifying accurate, reliable information to voters across the region and the opportunity to host a Vote Center at the Event Center.

“We cannot express our gratitude enough to CenturyLink Field and the Seattle Seahawks for how they’ve stepped up for our voters. Even before sports leagues and other teams across the country began lending their voices to the importance of voting, they have worked alongside us to ensure that every voice in King County and in Washington State can be heard and every vote counted,” said King County Director of Elections Julie Wise.

King County Elections will also host Vote Center locations
  • Dempsey Indoor Center on the University of Washington – Seattle campus, 
  • Kenmore City Hall
  • Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center, 
  • Accesso Showare Center in Kent, 
  • Bellevue College Gym,  
  • Elections Headquarters in Renton.



Voters who need to come in-person are encouraged to visit one of these locations on Saturday as long lines are expected on Monday and Election Day.



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694,000 King County ballots already in

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

The high rate of returns holds for the State as well as King county
The Secretary of State reports 46.4%

More than 694,000 King County ballots have already arrived at the county elections office in Renton.

County ballot-return statistics show that 694,096 ballots had arrived at the elections office by Monday morning. That’s 49.25 percent of the county’s 1,409,298 registered voters.

Local voters are returning ballots at a faster rate.

Voters in Shoreline and the part of northwest Seattle that’s in the 32nd Legislative District had a ballot-return rate of 51.35 percent.

In Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and the part of northeast Seattle in the 46th Legislative District the ballot-return rate is 54.63 percent.

The ballot-return statistics include ballots that officials had picked up from drop boxes or received by mail by 9am Monday.




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My owner voted - did you?

Monday, October 26, 2020

 

Photo by GM Wiegand



Ms Wiegand's companion animal Gabriel reports that his owner voted and this is a reminder for you to turn in your ballot.

Your Editor dropped her ballot in the box by Lake Forest Park City Hall on Wednesday - and King county reported that it had been processed and counted by Friday! 

So now I have until next Tuesday to see if I regret any of my choices!

--Diane



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