From Our Corner

The Road to Women's Suffrage: 1883

The Washington Territorial Legislature passed a law enacting women’s suffrage. Governor William Newell signed the bill into law on November 23, 1883. Only Wyoming and Utah Territories had enacted women’s suffrage prior to Washington. Image … Read more

New look for Digital Archives website

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Holiday Tip No. 9

Today’s Holiday Giving Tip: Request Material! Yeah, that’s right. When someone asks you to give them money for a cause, ask them to provide you with a brochure, a Web site address, or other material that gives you more information about the group. Legitimate groups want you to learn more about them and are glad to provide you with this kind of stuff. Be very, very wary of any group that doesn’t have anything to give you. There are plenty of great groups out there that need your help – so… Read more

The Road to Women’s Suffrage:1881

Image On November 11, 1881, the Washington Territorial House of Representatives passed House Bill 103, a women’s suffrage bill by a vote of 13-11. The measure was sent on to the Territorial Council, where it lost by a vote of five to seven.

Letters About Literature honorable mention winner visits

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The Road to Women's Suffrage: 1878

Image In 1878 a Constitutional Convention was held in Walla Walla to draft a state constitution and to hopefully qualify Washington for Statehood. The constitution that they drafted excluded women’s suffrage, but a measure granting women the vote was put on the… Read more

Reed seeks earlier primary & ballots in by Election Day

Holiday Giving Tip: No. 10

Today’s Holiday Giving Tip: Don’t decide right now. It’s hard to tell someone who is raising money for starving families that “you have to think about it” … but the truth is, you do! The most help can be done by taking time to really research a charity and make sure it is using your donations in a way that makes you comfortable. Making an on-the-spot commitment before checking out a charity can be a very bad idea. You want your dollars to have the most impact possible, so research how they… Read more

Now on video: reminding people to give wisely

Image Last Friday we … Read more

Archives and campaign pieces: Al Rosellini

From Your Corner: Grand Coulee Dam

Image Located on the Columbia River about 90 miles west of Spokane, it’s the largest concrete structure and largest electric-producing facility in the U .S. Photos alone don’t do the Grand Coulee Dam justice. You have to see it in person to appreciate its enormous size and marvel at the challenge of building such a structure that has meant so much to the Columbia Basin. This photo, courtesy of the State Archives, shows the dam during its… Read more

Holiday Giving Tip No. 8

Today’s Holiday Giving Tip: Spot the big red flags!! There are some big, fat red flags you can watch for that will tell you if a charitable solicitor is not in compliance with the law. These are things like:

• Saying things that are deceptive and misleading (red flag!)
• Telling you the contribution is tax deductable when it is not
• Using the names “police,” “sheriff”, or “firefighter” without authorization from those groups
• Calling you before 8 a.m. or… Read more

Holiday Giving Tip No. 7

Today’s Holiday Giving Tip: Know where to file your complaints. While we here at the Secretary of State’s Office help provide consumers with lots of information about charities, we aren’t the place to go if you want to report a charity scam or bad practices. But we can tell you where to go! If you feel a charity or commercial fundraiser is operating in a deceptive or illegal manner, contact the Consumer and Business Fair Practice Division of the State Attorney General's Office at 1-800-551-… Read more

Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, Read On!

The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library located in downtown Seattle, is a free and comprehensive library service dedicated to providing an array of services to Washington residents unable to read standard print material. These include the blind, visually impaired, legally blind, deaf-blind, physically disabled, those who can’t comfortably hold a book or turn pages and those who are reading disabled. Any genre you can think of, WTBBL has it! Users of the library can check out… Read more

Library Jewel #3: "Lost County" Maps

Image Ever heard of Ferguson county? Probably not, mainly because it doesn’t exist. It’s the only county that was lost during our state’s territorial years. Believe it or not, the area that is now Yakima and Kittitas counties used to be a… Read more

2013 Primary: Registration deadline July 8

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“Archives treasure” #2: ferries photos, docs (not docks)

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(Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives.)

One of the unique characteristics of Puget Sound is the fleet of ferry boats used to carry passengers, vehicles and bikes across the sound. In fact, these famous ferry boats have been used to get… Read more

State Library hosts “Wolves of Washington” event tonight

Here's how signature check for R-74 works ...

How does the signature check for a referendum work, and what is the impact of a referendum challenge on the effective date of the recently enacted legislation (SB6239) authorizing civil marriage for same-sex couples? The deadline for turning in Referendum 74 petitions to the State Elections Division is Wednesday, June 6. Ordinarily, the marriage bill would be taking effect Thursday, June 7, but if opponents… Read more

No initiative to the people will be on ballot this fall

Image For the first year since 1989, an initiative to the people won’t be placed before Washington voters. Friday, July 5, is the deadline for initiative sponsors to submit signatures to our… Read more