- Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and King County Elections Director Julie Wise addressed election myths, issues, challenges, and opportunities.
- Event included a guided tour of King County’s elections headquarters.
RENTON — Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and King County Director of Elections Julie Wise provided audiences insight into the layered security protocols that allow Washingtonians to vote with confidence this November.
The media event offered audiences the opportunity to learn more about how the state of Washington and its most populous county are preparing for the Nov. 8 General Election and countering the national problem of false narratives undermining trust in elections.
Secretary Hobbs affirmed his office’s commitment to strengthen election security, counter misleading election information, and enhance voter engagement. Monday, the Office of the Secretary of State kicked off a statewide multimedia voter confidence campaign to increase awareness of the state’s elections security and to help educate voters on basic methods of seeking out reliable information to resolve elections concerns.
“Washington voters have a fully transparent and reliable elections infrastructure to make their voices heard,” Secretary Hobbs said after the event. “The best way to combat bad information about trusting elections is through openness about the election system we’ve constructed and the many reasons voters should participate with full confidence in its integrity.”
Despite the frequent and baseless claims about the 2020 election, there is no evidence to support allegations of election fraud or tampering with our national elections system. Secretary Hobbs addressed narratives that are expected to affect the General Election in Washington state, including doubts cast on the vote-by-mail system and the usage of drop boxes across the state, as well as the challenging of elections certification and the integrity of the vote-counting process.
“I want to thank Director Wise and King County Elections for hosting this event and supporting the elections community’s efforts to provide transparency and confidence in how elections are run at the ground level,” Hobbs added.
Director Wise detailed the misinformation narratives experienced by King County Elections, as well as how the department works to keep elections secure and transparent.
“In my many years of working in elections, I have never experienced an elections landscape like the one we’re in today,” stated Director Wise. “While misinformation explodes and the narrative around our elections is so clouded, it’s more important than ever to share the reality with our voters. And the reality is that our elections are secure, accessible, and transparent.”
The media event was broadcast live by TVW and can be viewed online at tvw.org.
About the Office of the Secretary of State
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.
About King County Elections
Led by Director Julie Wise, King County Elections conducts accessible, secure, and accurate elections for nearly 1.4 million voters. Home to one-third of Washington state’s voters, King County was the largest vote-by-mail jurisdiction in the world for many years prior to more widespread adoption in 2020. With core values of accuracy, equity, integrity, service, teamwork, and transparency, the team at KCE is committed to ensuring all King County voters can get registered, cast their ballot, and make their voices heard.