Editorial: Hobbs' work has built on state's election security

By The Herald Editorial Board

Put simply, the work of all elected positions in the state hinges on the careful administration of the secretary of state’s office.

The secretary of state is Washington’s chief elections officer, responsible for supervising state and local elections and working with 39 county auditor’s offices running those elections, certifying results and producing the state voters guide. The position in recent years has required efforts to encourage voter registration and turnout, adopt new technologies and policies to support that work and bolster the security of voting infrastructure and practices.

The office also is responsible for running the state library and related programs in communities and safeguarding and providing access to historical records and collections; registering and licensing corporations, partnerships and trademarks; registering charities and nonprofits; serving as chairman of the state Productivity Board; and administering the address confidentiality program for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.

The current secretary of state, Steve Hobbs, was appointed to the position in 2021, after Kim Wyman, the last Republican to hold a statewide office on the West Coast, was appointed to a federal elections post by the Biden administration. Hobbs ran and won election to complete the term in 2022 and now seeks his first full four-year term in office.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-hobbs-work-has-built-on-states-election-security/