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What’s on Your Ballot: Secretary of State

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It’s a beautiful Summer afternoon. Grab your ballot, a nice cool tasty beverage, and enjoy the nice weather while your exercise your right to vote!

Not registered to vote? It’s not too late! The deadline to register to vote or update your voter registration is Monday, July 27. That’s three days away. Head over to Vote.Wa.Gov, it only takes a few minutes.

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The August 4 Primary Election is 11 days away. Voters do not have to declare a party affiliation to vote in the primary. If you have not yet received your ballot, contact your county (King or Pierce) elections department ASAP.

Secretary of State

According to Washington State Secretary of State official website, the “Secretary of State is the state’s chief elections officer, chief corporations officer, and supervisor of the State Archives. The duties of the office are specified in Article III, Section 17 of the Washington State Constitution and Chapter 43.07 RCW.”

Read more about the Secretary of State, including their official duties.

This is a Statewide, 4-year-term position.

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Washington Secretary of State Candidates

Candidates submit their statements. Neither the Office of the Secretary of State or Auburn Examiner make corrections or verify statements for truth or fact. A candidate’s preference does not imply that the candidate is nominated or endorsed by the party, or that the party approves of or associates with that candidate.

Ed Minger
(Prefers Independent Party)

Elected Experience
FEA Building Representative Columbia Jr High; Most Original – CERHS Seniors; Most Inspirational – CERHS Track

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Other Professional Experience
History Teacher – Fife; Operations Manager, Stormwater Specialist – Lean Environment Inc.; America Reads/America Counts – Ellensburg; Teacher – Cle Elum, Kittitas, Royal; Trio Upward Bound Hall Director, Moses Lake; Shipping Dept. – Shoemaker Mfg.

Education
Bachelor’s in History Education, Central Washington University – Magna Cum Laude; Big Bend Community College; Cle Elum-Roslyn High School

Community Service
Coordinated 1,000s of hours of youth community service with Leo Club; Visiting retirement communities, coordinating community events, student tours, childcare during parent events, donation drives. Our student volunteers are irreplaceable.

Statement
Many recognize the flaws in our elections, and we know these flaws create imperfections in government. We should never feel limited to choosing the lesser of two evils when voting in our diverse state — and compromise, empathy, and respect should be encouraged in government. If you agree, even partially, please visit edminger.com.

As a candidate I refuse to purchase advertising. Beyond that, I offer new, strategic, nonpartisan ideas.

First, reduce the expectation of two-party victories by allowing 3-5 people to compete for your vote. Implement approval voting to end fears of wasting a vote on your true preferences. Second, special interests and donors purchase preferential access to leaders, and they’re understandably concerned about losing access. Don’t fight them. Prohibit candidates from running paid advertising, and the necessity for donations will fall tremendously.

I have a handful of other ideas around one goal; making our representative government more representative. That’s it… I don’t blame people, parties, or special interests. The flaws in our elections have created imperfections in our government. When we improve elections, officials will be free to become their best selves. —Your visit to edminger.com is a critical step towards addressing our shared beliefs.

Contact
(253) 256-5287
em.sos.wa@gmail.com
PO BOX 531
PUYALLUP, WA 98371
Candidate Website
Campaign Contributions


Gentry Lange
(Prefers Progressive Party)
Elected Experience
PCO

Other Professional Experience
Gentry Lange is a small business owner, political activist, ardent spokesman for voting reform, with a background in Internet Technologies. In 2004, he was the campaign manager for Andy Stephenson, a voting activist candidate for Secretary of State, a campaign for Washington Secretary of State that broke all the rules and was featured in the film, “Hacking Democracy” by HBO. He has written about voting integrity issues for over 15 years and is the Director of the No Vote By Mail Project.

Education
University of Washington, Political Science

Community Service
Voting Integrity Activist and Independent Journalism

Statement
If you elect me Secretary of State, I pledge to kick corporations out of the vote counting system, reclaim public ownership of elections, and restore the secret ballot. I will use this campaign, and the position of Secretary of State, to champion economic recovery for small businesses, workers, the unemployed and the marginalized.

Private companies currently control your vote counting software. Clear Ballot, Dominion (formerly Diebold), ES&S, and Hart Intercivic, are the four companies in Washington with certified software to count your vote. Your mail ballot is counted by proprietary, trade-secret, software. To fix this, I will implement the use of publicly owned open source software if elected.

For too long, the Secretary of State has been functioning as a marketing and sales position for big corporations. My goal is to focus this position on the economic needs of those who work essential jobs, run small businesses, and do the work vital to our families, our neighbors, and our communities.
Government is for the people and by the people. It is not for the corporations and by the corporations. It is time that those running our government understood this and acted in the best interests of the public.

Contact
info@gentrylange.org
4450 S BRANDON ST
SEATTLE, WA 98118
Candidate Website
Campaign Contributions


Kim Wyman
(Prefers Republican Party)

Elected Experience
Serving as Washington Secretary of State from 2013 – present; Thurston County Auditor, 2001 – 2013.

Other Professional Experience
Ten years serving as Thurston County Elections Manager and Assistant Recording Manager. Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow. National Co-Chair for the Overseas Voting Initiative and the National Voter Registration Day Committee; Circle of Advisors Co-Chair, Vote at Home Institute.

Education
Washington State Certified Election Administrator, since 1995; Certified Elections Registration Administrator, Auburn University/Election Center, since 2004; Master of Public Administration, Troy University; Bachelor of Arts, California State University, Long Beach.

Community Service
TVW Board of Directors. YMCA Youth and Government Advisory Board. Washington Historical Society Board of Directors.

Statement
As Secretary of State, my most critical responsibility is to inspire public confidence in Washington’s elections. We achieve that when access and security are balanced. That’s why we created a secure statewide voter registration system to implement accessible same-day voter registration; established the first Elections Security Operations Center to respond to foreign interference and cybersecurity threats; and coordinated the efforts to develop robust state and county continuity of operations plans to respond in a pandemic.

Because Washington is a nationally recognized leader, we have been able to help other states innovate and secure their elections by expanding mail-in voting options during the coronavirus pandemic. I am proud to be the only candidate with elections experience – in fact, I’ve run over 120 elections in Washington.

This has helped earn the endorsements of all three former Secretaries of State and over 50 Democratic, Republican, and independent County Auditors and Elections Directors. They understand the complexities of this job and share my passion for accessible and secure elections, streamlined business services, open public records, and preserving state history.

I ask for your vote to continue this important work and maintain the nonpartisan integrity and citizen-oriented philosophies of this office.

Contact
(360) 763-4992
kim@kimwyman.com
PO BOX 369
SNOHOMISH, WA 98291
Candidate Website
Campaign Contributions


Gael Tarleton
(Prefers Democratic Party)

Elected Experience
I’ve had the great privilege of representing the 36th Legislative District as State Representative since 2013. Additionally, I served as Seattle Port Commissioner from 2008 to 2013 and served as Port Commission President before my election to the State House.

Other Professional Experience
Research Adviser, University of Washington; Director, SAIC Global Technology; Senior Analyst, U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.

Education
M.A., Government and National Security; B.S., Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

Community Service
Citizen Roundtable on Politics and Democracy, Co-Founder; Governor’s Maritime Blue Task Force, Co-Chair; Maritime/Manufacturing Resilience Task Force, Co-Chair; College Savings Plan Legislative Advisory Board, Legislative Delegate; PNNL National Security Directorate Advisory Committee, Board member.

Statement
Voting rights and election security are under attack across the country. In a time of persistent voter suppression and election interference, we need a Secretary of State who will boldly defend every vote and every voter.

I’m running for Secretary of State because I have 30 years of experience as a senior defense intelligence and national security analyst defending our country from attacks. I believe that this office needs a new type of leader to protect our election systems and voter information against current and emerging threats.

Currently, our national and state election officials are putting party before our democracy. Our state’s top election official has not denounced threats to defund the US Postal Service or condemned dangerous attacks on voting by mail. These threats to election security must not go unchallenged. In contrast, as a legislator I’ve supported every effort to expand voting rights and have passed bipartisan laws to protect elections and election workers for all of us.

The needs of this office have changed. It’s time for a new era in Washington state elections. I am prepared to face these challenges and lead through the uncertain times ahead. I’d be honored to earn your vote.

Contact
(206) 619-1730
info@voteforgael.org
PO BOX 9100
SEATTLE, WA 98109
Candidate Website
Campaign Contributions


The Auburn Examiner encourages voters to do additional, independent, candidate research before casting their vote. Information on candidates can be obtained through interviews and profiles (local news outlets are usually a great source), questionnaires, candidate forums and debates, and any available voting records. A variety of websites also provide further details and information about candidates. We urge all voters to verify the authenticity of any website, and information used to inform their voting decisions. Always remember: trust, but verify.

Important 2020 Primary Dates

July 27: LAST DAY for online and mail voter registration and updates! These must be received 8 days before Election Day. You are still able to register to vote and update your voter registration in person during business hours and any time before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
July 31: Unofficial, it is recommended that if mailing in your ballot, you return it by the Friday before Election Day to ensure it is postmarked by Election Day.
August 4: Deadline for in-person voter registration and updates (up to 8:00 pm).
August 4: Primary – Returned ballots must be postmarked or deposit your ballot in an official drop box by 8 pm on Election Day.

happy voting, mail in voting, mail in ballot, primary election, what's on the ballot, when is my ballot due

The Auburn Examiner does not endorse any candidate, party, or ballot measures.
We endorse voting, plain and simple.

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