OLYMPIA — Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has announced this year’s Election Award winners.
The Secretary of State Election Awards recognize exemplary election workers and counties across the state that engage and educate voters, promote greater election transparency and accountability, and administer secure, accurate, and accessible elections for all Washingtonians.
State Elections Director Stuart Holmes presented the awards at this year’s Washington State Elections Conference in Spokane.
The awards and awardees include:
Outstanding Security: Kitsap County Elections department
The Kitsap County Elections department swiftly responded to a situation that required it to issue new ballots to a small group of voters. Given the time proximity to the election, the department’s ability to reach out to the affected voters and explain the issue, and go door-to-door and hand-deliver the new, replacement ballots enabled the voters to vote on time, and affirmed the team’s commitment to maintaining ballot security and chain of custody throughout the election process.
Kitsap County Elections’ website features several videos and livestreams of election-administrative processes that promote transparency and make it easier for the public to observe elections processes. Kitsap County maintains a high level of control of its ballot-processing area, including steps that confirm the software has not been altered from its state certification.
“Outstanding Security is a new award that recognizes outstanding election security and integrity,” said Holmes. “This award goes to an entire county elections department because election security is a team effort that requires all of us to work together to ensure the highest in election integrity for all voters.”
Rising Star of the Year: Amelia Odeen, voter registration coordinator, Spokane County
Amelia Odeen recently relocated to Spokane County from Walla Walla County. An election administrator in both counties, Odeen has continually ensured that the needs of both small and medium-size counties are met. She advocates for effective changes that improve workflows in small counties, and brings county and state election workers together in a positive and supportive way.
Rising Star of the Year is a new award that honors election administrators who may be new to their respective communities yet contribute in ways that make an immediate impact.
Accessibility All-Star: Rosa Fernandez, bilingual election program coordinator, Franklin County
Rosa Fernandez is an “access all-star” for Washington’s Spanish-speaking voters and a critical partner with the Office of the Secretary of State for Spanish-language election materials. She helps review translations and looks for ways the Washington state elections community can better serve bilingual voters and help provide voting materials in more languages.
The Accessibility All-Star award (formerly the Champion for Voters with Disabilities award) celebrates the work election administrators do every day to encourage people to register to vote, participate in the elections process, and make their voices heard.
County Elections Employee of the Year: Tillie Naputi-Pullar, elections manager, Thurston County
Election administrators statewide work hard to administer Washington’s elections for nearly 4.8 million voters. Tillie Naputi-Pullar invests incredible amounts of time making elections work better. She collaborates with the state and other counties, participates in workgroups, and improves VoteWA — in addition to managing elections in her own county.
“Whenever Tillie calls, I pick up the phone; I respect her opinions and ideas very much,” said Holmes. “We’ve risen through the ‘election ranks’ together. Over time, it’s been amazing to see her become an incredible leader and resource for our communities.”
Naputi-Pullar is the first two-time winner of the County Elections Employee of the Year Award. She first won the award in 2014.
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to honor the best and brightest of Washington’s election administrators and county election offices,” said Secretary Hobbs. “Congratulations to all our award winners for the hard work they do every day to ensure our state’s elections are secure, accurate, and accessible for all Washingtonians.”
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.