From Our Corner
R-71 signature take-backs?
Well, no. In response to inquiries, the state Elections Division says state regulations adopted on 2006 do not permit voters to withdraw their initiative and referendum petitions once the petition sheets have been turned over to the state for verification. The analogy is that voters can't re-call a mail-in ballot because they believe they were misled or lied to by a candidate or campaign. It's true that a half-century-old attorney general's opinion said the… Read moreR-71 update: Over 11,000 names checked
State Election workers, on the second day of checking signatures for Referendum 71, have now processed over 11,000 names, and the campaign's error rate continues at a low 12.31 percent level. As of close of business Monday, 11,502 signatures have been checked, and 10,087 have been accepted and 1,415 have been rejected, mostly because the person does not show up on the voter rolls. The supervisor of the initiatives and referendum desk notes that the error rate will vary somewhat from day to… Read more
From Your Corner of Washington
Image -Royal Basin, Olympic National Park. Sent in by Woody and Lori who tell us the Olympic Marmots were their constant companions at the campground above Royal Lake. Submit us your photo from your corner of Washington, and add our Facebook… Read more
5 Questions with Secretary Sam Reed
Secretary of State Sam Reed, who oversees the state’s Corporations Division, gives you the scoop on a new awards program called Corporations for Communities – and lets you know why you want to be nominated. Q.) Today you announced a new recognition program called Corporations for Communities and asked the public to nominate exceptional companies. What’s the point? The point is to identify corporations throughout Washington that are doing exceptional things for… Read moreEarly R-71 check shows fairly clean signatures
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During the first day of signature-verification for Referendum 71, over 5,000 voter signatures were scrutinized and the error rate was 11.34 percent. The State Elections Division crew turned up 4,991 valid signatures out of the 5,646 they reviewed. A handful were duplicates or the signature didn't match the voter registration card. Almost 600 petition signers were not found on the roll of registered voters. The early error rate --… Read moreDidyaknow...
Image If you ever need to use one of the many restrooms in the Capitol, one is not too far away. With 14 public bathrooms and 18 private ones, there are no long lines or far distances to travel. If it has been a long day and you just need a break, or if you really have to go to the bathroom, try to find all 14 public bathrooms in the building. Don’t let it fool you. That is no easy task. The bathrooms are not in the same location on every floor.… Read moreGo jump in the lake
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This photo, sent to us by the State Archives courtesy of the Susan Parish Photograph Collections, shows the Capitol Lake swimming area in Olympia in 1968. With the record-breaking heat that Western Washington has experienced the past week, this might have been a very popular place to be if it still existed. While this Capitol Lake swim spot is long gone, many Olympia-area kids go to the nearby spray park to cool off nowadays.New Guide to Libraries Seeking Public Computer Center Stimulus Funding
The ALA Washington Office today released a document to guide members of the library community who have a serious interest in applying to the Public Computer Center (PCC) funding category of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).
A fresh look at the prison library system
Today I have the pleasure of meeting a new employee for the prison library profession. Anna will begin her training today at Stafford Creek Corrections Center and over the next month and half get a look at the profession. After that time she will move on to the Department of Corrections training and then her own library at the Monroe Correctional Complex. One of… Read moreThursday R-71 update: Nearly 138k signatures
Referendum 71 sponsors turned in 137,689 voter signatures, providing a small enough cushion to require a full signature check, the state Elections Division says. Sponsors, a group of social conservatives calling themselves Protect Marriage Washington, are trying to force a statewide public vote this November on the state's new "everything but marriage" law that extends all of the rights and responsibilities now afforded to married couples to state-registered… Read moreWSL Updates for July 30, 2009
Volume 5, July 30, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list
Topics include:
1) PUBLIC LIBRARY STATISTICS
2) FREE TRAINING FROM WSL
3) FIRST TUESDAYS – BUILDING SCHOOL AND LIBRARY RELATIONSHIPS
4) BROADBAND STIMULUS FUNDING SURVEY
5) DIGITAL PRODUCTS EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE NOW AVAILABLE
6) TARGET K-12 FIELD TRIP GRANTS
… Read more2nd UPDATE: R-71 processing begins, disclosure blocked
Sponsors of Referendum 71 have secured a federal court order that will halt, at least temporarily, plans by the state Elections Division to release the names, addresses and signatures of people who signed the R-71 petitions. As a state election crew began counting R-71 signatures, the campaign group called Protect Washington Families, went to U.S. District Court in Tacoma and got a temporary restraining order that blocks release of the more than 9,000 petition… Read moreYou've got mail! (Or you will soon ... )
Image Keep an eye out for your ballot when you check your mailbox! Ballots are being mailed out to registered voters across Washington State for the August 18 Primary that will impact 36 of Washington's 39 counties. Fifteen counties will vote on state-level races. Today, King County sent out over 1 million ballots to registered voters. All counties have already mailed out ballots on July 17 to voters… Read moreThoughts on Being an ALA Emerging Leader
It was an interesting ride, being an ALA Emerging Leader in the Class of 2009. The upshot: I got to work with a great group of people, create some cool videos, and met a lot of really interesting librarians. The downside (downshot?): I'm not really any more interested in getting active… Read moreUPDATE: R-71 processing begins, disclosure challenged
Image State election crews have begun counting the signatures submitted by sponsors of Referendum 71, the effort to force a public vote in November on the state's newly expanded domestic partnership law. Sponsors, called Protect Washington Families, meanwhile, are taking the state to court to try to block public release of the names of people who signed their petitions. After state Archives completed microfilming of 9,359 petition sheets, about… Read moreClippings, July 29, 2009
Clippings – July 29, 2009 Library News On August 18th, voters in the city of Dayton will decide whether to annex the city into the Columbia County Rural Library District (CCRLD). If the annexation measure is approved, property owners in the city will pay property taxes to the Library District at the same rate as county tax payers, starting in 2010 (Blue Mountain News [Dayton], June 2009.)… Read moreClippings, July 29, 2009
Clippings - July 29, 2009 Library News On August 18th, voters in the city of Dayton will decide whether to annex the city into the Columbia County Rural Library District (CCRLD). If the annexation measure is approved, property owners in the city will pay property taxes to the Library District at the same rate as county tax payers, starting in 2010 (Blue Mountain News [Dayton], June 2009.) http://www.bluemtnnews.com/june09/… Read moreInteresting Resources from the IRN - Issue 174
The Internet Resources Newsletter is an online compendium of interesting web sites and is published on a monthly basis. You can check out their web site, or subscribe to the newsletter in your email, if you prefer. Below are some resources I found of particular interest in the latest newsletter, and thought… Read moreParty on, marmots!
Two days after the Olympic marmot officially became the state endemic mammal, Secretary of State Sam Reed and others celebrated Washington’s newest state symbol with a “Marmot Day” event in our office Tuesday morning. (TVW plans to air the ceremony Wednesday at 9 p.m., with rebroadcasts Thursday at 9 a.m. and Friday at 6 p.m.) Sam recognized and thanked a group of students from Seattle’s Wedgwood Elementary School and their teacher, Kelly Clark, for… Read more
Secretary of State
Steve Hobbs
