Clearinghouse Notices & Elections Advisories
About the Clearinghouse Program
In 1992, the Washington State Legislature passed a law requiring the Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) to establish an elections clearinghouse program.
The OSOS has compiled policy guidance and best practices designed for election officials on a range of topics related to election administration, including newly enacted elections legislation, relevant judicial decisions affecting the administration of elections, and applicable Attorney General opinions.
The OSOS has compiled policy guidance and best practices designed for election officials on a range of topics related to election administration, including newly enacted elections legislation, relevant judicial decisions affecting the administration of elections, and applicable Attorney General opinions.
Status Key
- Coming soon: A publication is scheduled for release.
- Reissued: An updated clearinghouse notice or advisory.
- Issued: A new clearinghouse notice or advisory.
- Revised: Correction of a typo or broken link.
2026 Legislation
- Issued June 11, 2026: Voter Registration Database - Reports and Public Records Requests
- Issued June 11, 2026: Election Supporting Technologies
Voter Registration
- Automatic Voter Registration Acknowledgment Notice Packages
- Cancellation Due to Death - Death Certificates
- Cancelling Inactive Voters
- Future Voter Program
- Restoration of Voting Rights After Felony Conviction
- Same Day Registration and Ballot Issuance
- Universal Registration and Ballot Issuance
- Voter Registration and Ballot Declarations
- Voter Registration Applicants without Identification
- Reissued June 11, 2026: Voter Registration Updates
- Voters Without Traditional Residential Addresses
- Voting Opportunities through Education Act (ESB 6313)
Candidate Filing
Types of Elections
- Bonds and Levies
- Diking, Drainage, and Flood Control District Elections
- Judicial Elections
- Partisan Primaries
- Precinct Committee Officer Elections
Ballot Packet Creation
Election Administration
- Primary-only Voters
- Revised June 11, 2026: Overseas and Service Voters
Balloting
- Ballot Drop Boxes in All Communities
- Missing and Mismatched Signatures on Ballot Declarations
- Processing Ballots Returned Electronically
- Processing Replacement, Reissued, and Suspended Ballots
- Voting Centers and Ballot Deposit Sites
- Write-in Voting
Auditing and Security
- Reissued September 17, 2026: Access to Voting System Software & Systems
- Auditing Ballots and Equipment
- Continuity of Operations Plan
- Non-voting System Approval Process and Partitioning Requirements for Election Infrastructure
- Protecting Secrecy of the Vote