Showing posts with label secretary of state. Show all posts
Showing posts with label secretary of state. Show all posts

Secretary of State’s office distributes $2 million to county elections offices to bolster security

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

King county elections workers
Photo courtesy King County Elections

OLYMPIA — In the second year of a statewide funding program to help counties improve their elections security, the Washington state Office of the Secretary of State has provided approximately $2 million to 30 elections offices statewide, with final calculations pending.

The program’s third year of funding is now open. As in prior years, each county’s elections office can receive up to $80,000 to pay for improvements to local election security.

“County election officials and employees around the state work hard to ensure our election systems are fair and secure,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “This additional funding will go a long way to bolster security efforts.”

Counties can use this funding to purchase or upgrade elections security software and hardware, hire IT security personnel, make structural improvements, and more. Among the county elections offices that received 2023-24 funds, notable uses included:
  • Snohomish County invested in monitoring devices, security measures for ballot drop boxes, building security, and upgraded cybersecurity measures and training.
“Voters in Snohomish County and across our state can continue to take pride in our fair and accurate elections,” Snohomish County Auditor Garth Fell said. 
“Our elections are supported by state and local government resources that help keep our elections security top-notch.”

Secretary Hobbs launched this program in November 2022. $1.57 million was awarded to 25 counties in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to work closely with election officials to better protect our elections from cyber threats and other bad actors,” Secretary Hobbs said. “With each new election cycle, these threats continue to escalate in frequency and severity.”

To be eligible, a county must have an Albert sensor in operation to monitor its network for cyber threats and attacks. The deadline for county elections offices to apply is May 2, 2025.


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Secretary Hobbs named Treasurer of National Association of Secretaries of State

Sunday, July 14, 2024

Steve Hobbs, Washington
Secretary of State
OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has been elected the Treasurer of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the nation’s oldest nonpartisan professional organization for elected officials.

Secretary Steve Hobbs was sworn in Friday, July 12, at the NASS 2024 Summer Conference in Puerto Rico.

Founded in 1904, NASS includes secretaries of state, lieutenant governors, and chief state election officials from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
“I am honored to have been selected by my fellow secretaries of state to a national leadership role,” Secretary Hobbs said. 

“NASS is a vital partnership for states to share important innovations regarding elections, cybersecurity, international relations, business support, and the many other critical services secretaries of state provide. 

"I look forward to this opportunity to continue working alongside these esteemed state leaders to help our organization serve Washington and every state.”

Secretary Hobbs previously served on the NASS Executive Board as the Western Region Vice President and was co-chair of the State Heritage Committee. He is a member of the NASS Elections, Cybersecurity, State Records and Archives, International Relations, and Business Services committees. He will serve as the Treasurer for a one-year term.


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Initiative filing fee charge increased and linked to inflation

Thursday, March 21, 2024

OLYMPIA — For the first time in more than a century of voter-submitted ballot proposals, the filing fee for Initiatives to the Legislature has moved from $5 to an inflation-indexed amount, currently set at $156. 

Similar adjustments to the filing fees for referenda and Initiatives to the People will take effect in January, the beginning of the next filing period for each.

The fee has remained static for more than a century, despite inflation. In 1912, voters approved Amendment 7 of the Washington State Constitution to create the ability to file initiatives and referenda, starting in 1913. 

That year, the filing fee was set at $5 to mirror contemporaneous state filing costs. At that time, home prices averaged $3,500, a gallon of milk was around 35 cents, and movie tickets were 7 cents. The change indexes the filing fees for initiatives and referenda to the modern equivalent of $5 in 1913, using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics valuation, and ensures that annual review and adjustment will keep the relative value current.

“This overdue adjustment recognizes the reality of inflation on cost structures universally,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. 
“The expenses generated in multiple state agencies for processing each and every filing of a potential ballot measure are not what they used to be in 1913, and our fee structure must reflect that.”

On January 11, 2024 Secretary Hobbs filed a change within Washington Administrative Code to link the filing fee with the federal inflation benchmark. A public hearing was held February 6. The fee change became effective March 9 for Initiatives to the Legislature. The cost adjustment to Initiatives to the People and referenda will take effect in 2025 because the filing period for each is underway.

From 1912 to 2024, the Office of the Secretary of State received 3,737 filings for Initiatives to the People or Initiatives to the Legislature. More than 60% of those filings were since the year 2010. 

In 2022 alone, 271 initiatives were filed; two people submitted 54% of that total. Each submitted initiative and referendum must be reviewed and processed by elections staff of the Office of the Secretary of State, as well as the Attorney General’s office and the state Code Reviser.

An additional rule change will randomize the numbers assigned to each initiative rather than numbering them sequentially in order of filing. The numbers will be assigned by rolling 10-sided dice.

“The participatory democracy of filing ballot measures is an important facet of our state government’s structure, but keeping the fee artificially low has problematic ripple effects,” Secretary Hobbs said. 
“Many more ballot measures are filed now and never seriously pursued. The outdated fee structure may have made that a low-cost exercise for the filers. At the same time, receiving hundreds of filings that don’t cover their own costs has driven government expenses upward.”

Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. 


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Secretary Hobbs praises Legislature for passing elections security bills and reinforcing important public services

Thursday, March 14, 2024

King County election workers
Photo courtesy King County Elections

OLYMPIA—During the 2024 legislative session, the Legislature approved several bills and $33.3 million in funding requested by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs that will enhance the integrity of Washington elections and improve support for charities and libraries statewide.

“These bills and critical funding will go a long way toward reducing barriers to voter registration, enhancing election security, and supporting libraries and other key services,” Secretary Hobbs said. 
“I thank the Legislature for their strong support of these important efforts.”

Priority legislation includes:

House Bill 1241, sponsored by Rep. Mari Leavitt (D-University Place), makes harassing election workers a class C felony and allows harassed election officials to apply for the Address Confidentiality Program.

House Bill 1962, requested by Secretary Hobbs and sponsored by Rep. Sam Low (R-Lake Stevens), helps maintain accurate voter lists and streamlines registration updates for voters moving from one Washington county to another.

Senate Bill 5843, requested by Secretary Hobbs and sponsored by Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-White Center), requires counties to notify the Office of the Secretary of State if they experience malicious cyber activity and maintain intrusion detection systems to safeguard against election cyber threats, among other security improvements.

Senate Bill 5824, requested by Secretary Hobbs and sponsored by Sen. Sam Hunt (D-Olympia), protects library districts and expands voter eligibility to include all qualified district residents who can vote when a proposal for library dissolution appears on the ballot. It also increases the petitioning threshold from 10% of voters in unincorporated areas to 25% of qualified voters in the district.

These bills now await the governor’s signature.

Among the $33.3 million allocated in supplemental budgets for the Office of the Secretary of State, $23.75 million will support election cost reimbursements to Washington’s 39 counties for the 2024 elections. 

Another $3.9 million will stabilize operations of Washington State Library and Washington State Archives operating funds, which are experiencing shortfalls due to historically low transactions from document recording fees, as well as provide continued funding for the new Library and Archives building in Tumwater. 

In addition, $500,000 will expand voter education and outreach programs statewide, 

$587,000 will modernize the Combined Fund Drive donor management system, $72,000 will expand charities education outreach, and $52,000 will support Office of the Secretary of State international trade missions to expand workforce development opportunities stateside and abroad.

“Thank you to Senator June Robinson, Representative Timm Ormsby, and the budget committee members for your tireless work shaping this budget,” Secretary Hobbs said.



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2024 Student Mock Election is now open for all Washington K-12 students

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

OLYMPIA — K-12 students across the state can now participate in the 2024 Student Mock Election presented by the Office of the Secretary of State.

The Student Mock Election is a non-partisan, educational event that teaches children to be informed voters. Through the March 12 Presidential Primary, K-12 students in Washington state are welcome to participate by informing the major political parties who they think should be nominated for president.

“This is an opportunity for children and young adults to learn how easy and impactful voting is,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “I invite educators throughout the state to use the many free resources available to get students excited about civic engagement.”

The Office of the Secretary of State offers a free teacher toolkit to help educators host mock elections, which includes mock ballots, tabulation sheets, posters, Voter Pamphlets, lesson plan materials, and access to “I Voted” stickers. The participation dashboard will show student participation by school and grade level.

Students who are at least 16 can pre-register online or using a paper registration form to be automatically registered to vote when they become eligible. Those who will be 18 by November 5 can vote in this year’s Presidential Primary and August Primary elections.

“Our Student Mock Election helps prepare students for lifelong participation and teaches the importance of democracy in our country,” Secretary Hobbs said.

Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. 

The office also operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program to provide incentives for efficiency improvements. The Secretary of State also oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.


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Court hearing Tuesday for challenge to presidential primary ballot

Saturday, January 13, 2024

OLYMPIA — Under the process outlined in RCW 29A.68, Kitsap County Superior Court has scheduled a hearing Tuesday, January 16, 2024 for a court filing contesting ballot placement for the March 12 Presidential Primary.

The challenge filed in Kitsap County January 10, 20024 contests the eligibility of Donald J. Trump for the office of President under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“I am committed to presenting Washingtonians with the opportunity to make their voices heard in the Presidential Primary March 12, which requires printing ballots and sending them to registered voters weeks ahead of Election Day,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. 
“Our state’s process gives the courts an important role in answering questions about eligibility. I look forward to having this question resolved in a timely fashion.”

Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal.


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Secretary Hobbs named Western Region Vice President of the National Association of Secretaries of State

Monday, July 17, 2023

Steve Hobbs, Washington
Secretary of State
OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has been named Western Region Vice President of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS).

Secretary Hobbs was sworn in Wednesday, July 12, at the NASS 2023 Summer Conference in Washington, D.C.

Founded in 1904, NASS is the nation’s oldest nonpartisan professional organization for public officials. Its members include secretaries of state, lieutenant governors, and chief state election officials from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

“I am honored to have been selected by my fellow secretaries of state to a national leadership role for our organization,” Secretary Hobbs said. 
“NASS is a vital partnership for states to share important innovations about elections, business support, and the many other critical services secretaries of state provide. I look forward to this opportunity to work with other state leaders and share the advances that we’ve made in Washington.”

Secretary Hobbs began serving as Washington Secretary of State in November 2021 and was elected in 2022.

Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. 

The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.


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