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    Washington Secretary of State election, 2020

    From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 25 min

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    Washington Secretary of State
    Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
    Top-two primary
    General election
    Election details
    Filing deadline: May 15, 2020
    Primary: August 4, 2020
    General: November 3, 2020
    Pre-election incumbent(s):
    Kim Wyman (R)
    How to vote
    Poll times: Poll opening hours vary; close at 8 p.m. (most voting done by mail)
    Voting in Washington
    Ballotpedia analysis
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    Incumbent Kim Wyman (R) defeated Gael Tarleton (D) in the election for Washington secretary of state on November 3, 2020. In the August 4 top-two primary, Wyman received 51% to Tarleton's 43%.

    Wyman was first elected in 2012. In 2016, she defeated Democrat Tina Podlodowski 55% to 45%. Tarleton had served in the Washington House of Representatives since 2013.

    The secretary of state is Washington's chief elections officer, chief corporations officer, and supervisor of the State Archives. The secretary of state oversees key parts of the state's ballot initiative process.

    Washington last elected a Democratic secretary of state in 1960.[2] Republicans held two statewide positions in 2020: secretary of state and treasurer.[3]

    Washington was one of 14 states with divided triplex control in 2020, meaning control of the top executive positions was split between the parties or independent or nonpartisan officers not appointed by the governor held one or more of the positions. Washington's governor and attorney general were Democrats, while the secretary of state was a Republican.

    Grey.png For more information about the top-two primary, click here.

    Election procedure changes in 2020[edit]

    See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

    Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

    Washington did not modify any procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election.

    For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

    Candidates and election results[edit]

    General election

    General election for Washington Secretary of State

    Incumbent Kim Wyman defeated Gael Tarleton in the general election for Washington Secretary of State on November 3, 2020.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Kim Wyman
    		Kim Wyman (R)
     
    53.6
     
    		2,116,141
    Image of Gael Tarleton
    		Gael Tarleton (D)
     
    46.3
     
    		1,826,710
     Other/Write-in votes
     
    0.1
     
    		4,666

    Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 3,947,517
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Nonpartisan primary election

    Nonpartisan primary for Washington Secretary of State

    Incumbent Kim Wyman and Gael Tarleton defeated Ed Minger and Gentry Lange in the primary for Washington Secretary of State on August 4, 2020.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    ✔
    Image of Kim Wyman
    		Kim Wyman (R)
     
    50.9
     
    		1,238,455
    ✔
    Image of Gael Tarleton
    		Gael Tarleton (D)
     
    43.3
     
    		1,053,584
    Image of Ed Minger
    		Ed Minger (Independent) Candidate Connection
     
    3.6
     
    		87,982
    Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
    Submit photo
    		Gentry Lange (Progressive Party of Washington State)
     
    2.1
     
    		51,826
     Other/Write-in votes
     
    0.1
     
    		1,919

    Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

    		Total votes: 2,433,766
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

    Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

    Candidate profiles[edit]

    This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[4] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.


    Kim Wyman

    Image of Kim Wyman

    X

    Party: Republican Party

    Incumbent: Yes

    Political Office: 

    Biography:  Wyman received a B.A. from California State University, an M.P.A. from Troy State University, and an Honorary Doctorate in leadership from City University. She served as elections manager in Thurston County for eight years before serving as county auditor. Wyman was certified as an elections/registration administrator (CERA) for Washington state. She served as treasurer for the National Association of Secretaries of State and president of the Washington State Association of County Auditors.


    Key Messages

    The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

    Wyman said she was the only candidate in the race with elections experience. She emphasized that she had 27 years of elections experience.

    Wyman said she had led elections in a nonpartisan manner and that she had endorsements from Democratic, Republican, and independent county auditors and election directors.

    Wyman said she had balanced election accessibility and security. She said she increased access to same-day registration along with security measures, helped protect elections from foreign and cyber threats, and helped adapt elections to the pandemic.

    Show sources

    Sources: Kim Wyman's 2020 campaign website, "Home," accessed October 13, 2020; Vimeo, "Re-elect Kim Wyman," accessed October 13, 2020; Kim Wyman's 2020 campaign website, "Biography," accessed October 13, 2020

    This information was current as of the candidate's run for Washington Secretary of State in 2020.

    Gael Tarleton

    Image of Gael Tarleton

    WebsiteFacebookX

    Party: Democratic Party

    Incumbent: No

    Political Office: 

    Biography:  Tarleton received a B.S. and an M.A. from Georgetown University. She was a senior defense intelligence analyst for the Pentagon focusing on port security. Tarleton ran two subsidiaries of a Fortune 500 company in Russia. She also reported to Al Gore’s commission on global climate change, was the director of Eurasian policy studies at the National Bureau of Asian Research, and was director of corporate and foundation relations for the University of Washington’s College of Arts and Sciences. In the state House, Tarleton was the majority floor leader from 2016 to 2018.


    Key Messages

    The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

    Tarleton emphasized her experience in national security, advising the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and in the state House. She said she pushed for elections audits, to fund voter education efforts, and for more ballot boxes throughout the state.

    Tarleton said it was time for a secretary of state who was prepared for threats to elections and would lead efforts to expand voter participation.

    Tarleton criticized Wyman for saying it wasn't her job to take on Trump. Tarleton said Wyman sided with Trump Republicans who opposed election security legislation.

    Show sources

    Sources: Gael Tarleton's 2020 campaign website, "About," accessed October 13, 2020; Gael Tarleton's 2020 campaign website, "Home" accessed October 13, 2020; YouTube, "Gael Tarleton for WA Secretary of State," accessed October 13, 2020

    This information was current as of the candidate's run for Washington Secretary of State in 2020.

    Polls[edit]

    See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
    Washington secretary of state, 2020: General election polls
    Poll Date Republican Party Wyman Democratic Party Tarleton Other Margin of error Sample size Sponsor
    SurveyUSA Oct. 8-12 45% 40% 14% ± 5.2[5] 591 KING-TV

    Campaign finance[edit]

    Noteworthy endorsements[edit]

    See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

    This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

    Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

    Noteworthy endorsements
    Endorsement Wyman (R) Tarleton (D)
    Newspapers and editorials
    The Seattle Times editorial board ✔
    The Everett Herald editorial board ✔
    The Columbian editorial board ✔
    The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin editorial board ✔
    The Olympian editorial board ✔
    The Stranger editorial board ✔
    Elected officials
    Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) ✔
    Gov. Jay Inslee (D) ✔
    12 Democratic county auditors (List) ✔
    3 independent county auditors (List) ✔
    Individuals
    Former Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed (R) ✔
    Former Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro (R) ✔
    Former Washington Secretary of State Bruce Chapman (R) ✔
    Former Oregon Secretary of State Phil Keisling (D) ✔

    Timeline[edit]

    2020[edit]

    Campaign advertisements[edit]

    This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

    Republican Party Kim Wyman[edit]

    Democratic Party Gael Tarleton[edit]

    "Defend" - Tarleton campaign ad, released October 9, 2020


    Campaign themes[edit]

    See also: Campaign themes

    Republican Party Kim Wyman[edit]

    Wyman’s campaign website stated the following:

    “
    • My Job as Your Secretary of State
    When you think of the Secretary of State’s Office, elections usually come to mind. Elections are no doubt a critical part of the job and one of my areas of expertise as former Thurston County Auditor and Elections Manager as well as a state and nationally certified elections administrator.
    But the Secretary of State’s Office does so much more. For example, I oversee the State Corporations and Charities Division, the Washington State Library, Washington Talking Book and Braille Library and State Archives. These divisions provide important services and opportunities to Washington residents across our state.
    I also lead special programs, including: the Address Confidentiality Program, which protects survivors of domestic violence and stalking; the Combined Fund Drive, which includes charitable giving by public employees; and Legacy Washington, which includes history programs and special exhibits that tell our state’s stories. I encourage you to learn more about these programs.
    In all, I lead more than 250 public employees in the Secretary of State’s Office. We are dedicated to strengthening the integrity of our elections, promoting civic engagement and connecting people with state government.
    • Accomplishments
    Washington state ranks among the top states for election security, voter registration and turnout, elections innovation, and voter outreach and information. I am proud to have worked in elections for the past 30 years, overseeing well over 100 elections at the county and state level.
    We lead the nation in innovations like accessible voter information and ballot applications that work with e-readers which enable voters with special needs to vote secretly and independently. We have improved service delivery, like providing election materials in multiple formats—written, audio, and braille, to best meet every voter’s needs—and translated materials into 17 languages, to enable all voters to cast an informed ballot.
    While we’ve accomplished much in the Secretary of State’s Office, we have more to do. I want to continue to work with all county auditors to make sure our elections departments across the state have the space, equipment, and trained staff to continue to deliver secure elections to all voters; I want to improve the storage and preservation of our state’s history by completing our Library/Archives Building; and I will continue to make all resources in the Secretary of State’s office available to those who need it the most by working with groups and individuals to learn where improvements can be made. This is what Washingtonians expect and deserve.
    Improving access and security of our state’s elections
    • Partnering with all 39 county election officials, we created an award winning, nationally recognized voter registration and election management system. This provided the centralized security and accessibility we needed not only to conduct the elections, but implement the new same-day and automatic registration, and Future Voter legislation passed in 2019.
    • We have made our elections more secure with the development of the Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) with both county and state partners. This has led to the groundbreaking work we have done in partnership with the Washington State National Guard, FBI, and U.S. Homeland Security cyber departments to train and protect our state and all 39 counties. These operations have protected our elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • We created the first in the country Elections Security Operations Center to protect our elections from foreign and domestic attacks. This center also goes to support and protect all 39 counties through firewall defense and cyber security trainings.
    • We made our state’s presidential primary more meaningful for all voters in our state. For the first time in state history, both political parties used the results of the primary in their nominating processes. The primary date was also March, after years of working with legislators to have the date moved in state law.
    • My office has continued to be a national leader for our work creating and maintaining the Address Confidentiality Program. Through this program, we provide protection to 4,000-5,000 voters who are survivors of domestic violence and stalking.
    Preserving access to our state’s rich heritage
    • Working with legislators, library stakeholders, and county auditors, we stabilized the funding for the state library. When I was sworn into office in 2013, the future of the state library was in doubt. This stable funding ensures our residents have access to a first-rate research collection and that local libraries can maximize their resources with access to federal LSTA funds and programs.
    • We made our state’s history more accessible by expanding our digital archives collection to over 200 million records. Now the public can access a larger portion of photographs, documents, and publications contained in the state archives—all online.
    • We expanded our public records training to state and local governments to assist them providing public records more effectively. Additionally, we helped preserve local government records by providing grants to many small, local jurisdictions.
    • Reduced the amount of state public records stored on paper by 10% - a full year ahead of schedule, saving tax dollars in storage and search costs.
    Making it easier to do business in Washington state
    • We made it easier to do business in Washington by streamlining our corporations and charities filing processes. Not only did we reduce the time it takes to register a business with our office, we were able to reduce or eliminate a few fees, saving our customers over $5.5 million each year to put back into our local communities.
    • My office provided employers, employees, and job seekers an opportunity to receive computer skills training at no cost. The Imagine Academy is available through a partnership with the State Library and more than 400 libraries across the state.
    • We administer the Combined Fund Drive, through which state employees can maximize their donations to registered charities. This program has allowed employees to give an average of $5 million annually to charities across Washington.
    • Election Security
    When it comes to election security, Kim Wyman has demonstrated that she is not only an expert in elections, but in cyber security as well. For the last 20 years, Kim Wyman has made it her mission to secure our elections against unlawful interference from foreign and domestic sources. Under Kim Wyman’s leadership, Washington has led the nation in election security.
    • When faced with attempted foreign hacking in 2016, Kim Wyman went to work creating the first in the country Elections Security Operation Center (ESOC). This Center is dedicated to protecting the state’s elections, as well as all elections offices in all of Washington’s 39 counties as well. Election officials across the state now have firewall protections, cyber monitoring, and security training to help them protect the very foundation of our elections.
    • Kim Wyman has also defended our state by establishing partnerships with the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and our own National Guard. These partnerships give our state’s elections ongoing support and protection from America’s top cyber security experts.
    • Kim helped establish the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC) to support the cybersecurity needs of the national election community. This gives access to all 50 states and the District of Columbia to state-of-the-art cyber defense tools and trainings.
    Kim has built up the security needed to protect our elections far into the future. This work cannot stop. Foreign and domestic hackers are always looking for ways to attack our elections. They only have to get it right once, where we have to get it right 24/7. Kim is prepared and ready to bring in new technologies with the help of the partnerships she has created with cybersecurity experts. She will also continue to adjust the already robust election security trainings to make sure that all election officials are up to date and ready for new and emerging threats.
    • Protecting Voting Rights
    When it comes to protecting voting rights, Kim Wyman has ensured that every eligible voter is able to cast a ballot. For nearly 30 years she has been working to make Washington a national leader for accessible and secure elections. Kim believes that every eligible voter should have access to the ballot without barriers. Because of Kim Wyman’s hard work and leadership, we have become the most accessible state in the country for elections.
    • When national politics threatened to delay the United States Postal Service, Kim Wyman stood up for our voting rights and made sure that we would get our ballots on time. She passed an emergency rule that requires all ballots sent out in the 15-day voting window to be sent with a first-class stamp.
    • While Kim has been Secretary of State, we have seen the number of places a voter can return their ballot (drop box or voting center) increase to over 500 across the state. When she was the Thurston County Auditor, she was the first local election official in the state to implement the use of a ballot drop box. Now, 90% of voters live within a three-mile radius of a drop box and 70% of voters live with a one-mile radius of a box. Kim also championed moving to postage-paid return envelopes for Washington voters in 2018, removing a significant barrier to voting in our state.
    • Kim Wyman actively listens to the concerns of communities across Washington. For example, when the indigenous communities in our state told election officials that it was difficult for them to receive their mail-in ballots, Kim Wyman lead a program with county election officials to be able to geo-code non-traditional tribal addresses and send their ballots to the tribal community center – ensuring that tribal communities are able to cast ballots as easily as any other Washingtonian.
    • Under Kim’s leadership, our elections have become some of the most accessible in the country for those with disabilities. In 2017 her office received the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission Clearing House Award for Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities for launching a statewide program that allows voters to independently access their digital ballot with accessible technologies. Kim makes sure her office leads by example when it comes to increasing access to voters with disabilities—always making sure to include the differently abled community when it comes to making election decisions.
    Even after all these accomplishments, there is more work to be done. Kim wants to continue to lead the state and the country in accessible elections. She will continue the relationships she has built as Secretary of State with diverse communities of all backgrounds to make sure barriers are continuing to be removed from voting. Kim will also continue to stand up for our elections and our voters—sticking to the facts rather than engaging in partisan political posturing.[6]
    		 ”
    —Kim Wyman’s campaign website (2020)[7]


    Democratic Party Gael Tarleton[edit]

    Tarleton’s campaign website stated the following:

    “
    • Voting Access
    Gael believes that, even in Washington State, freedom is fragile and that we must do more to protect voting rights. She will work with voters across the state, and specifically with communities of color and other historically marginalized communities, to reduce barriers to voting by:
    • Expanding Automatic Voter Registration. In 2018, Gael helped pass one of the country’s first automatic voter registration (AVR) laws, which automatically registers eligible Washingtonians to vote when they renew their driver’s license. Gael will work to expand AVR to public universities and other state programs and institutions. We should make registering to vote as easy as it can be.
    • Increasing Voter Education. As a State Representative, Gael sponsored legislation that would have required counties to conduct voter education and reimburse them for the cost. If elected, Gael will work to expand voter education programs, so that all Washingtonians participate in the political process.
    • Stopping Unnecessary Purges. During the last eight years, over a million Washingtonians have been purged from the state’s voter rolls, often without explanation. These purges disproportionately impact minority voters. As Secretary of State, Gael will reform this practice and will invite community groups into the process to help determine if any individuals are wrongly targeted.
    • Election Security
    Gael spent 30 years defending our democracy against threats from Russia and other foreign powers. As a Seattle Port Commissioner, she led the Port of Seattle’s efforts to support a regional response to potential terrorist attacks‎ and catastrophic earthquakes. She also managed global partnerships at the University of Washington on disaster management and national security issues. Gael has an expert understanding of our security needs and is ready to use that knowledge to make our Washington elections more secure by:
    • Fighting for More Resources to Protect our Elections. Gael’s opponent fought legislation in 2019 to provide billions to the states to protect their elections from foreign manipulation. Gael believes this was wrong: the Russians tried to penetrate our state’s election networks and databases in 2016, and the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee recently reported that the Russians are at it again, attempting to disrupt our elections in 2020. As a security expert, Gael knows that neither our state and nor our counties can fight a determined foreign government alone. Gael will work with state and federal leaders to get Washington all the resources it can to prepare for future attacks.
    • Setting Strong Standards for the Security of Our Technology. The current federal security standards for our voting machines are fifteen years old. We must update these to ensure that our systems stay safe. While Gael’s opponent opposed designating election systems as “critical infrastructure,” Gael knows that we have to set and enforce rigorous standards to secure our votes.
    • Ensuring Our Elections Are Prepared for Emergencies. When COVID-19 threatened our Spring 2020 elections, Gael’s opponent called on the Governor to use emergency powers to cancel them. We need to establish emergency preparedness plans so that our elections can continue, whether through foreign hacking or a global pandemic.
    • Elections Innovation
    Washington is home to some of the most innovative minds and companies in America, and Gael believes we must apply a spirit of innovation and use our home-grown talent to improve election administration. By leveraging research, data, and technology, we can make voting easier and elections more secure and transparent by:
    • Exploring New Technologies. Why is it so hard to find your nearest ballot box? Why is election information split across our 39 counties? Why aren’t we using innovations in election audits to help us identify problems in real time and increase confidence in the political process? Why aren’t we doing more to engage voters on their terms? We must invest in new tools to make voting easier and more secure, and bring voters into the process so that we stay ahead of the curve and maximize voter engagement.
    • Increasing Training for Elections Workers. We must prepare our elections workers for the challenges of conducting secure elections by partnering with local community and technical colleges to develop professional certification and continuing education opportunities in the field of election security, elections management, and election systems administration.
    • Improving Campaign Financing. We need to get dark money out of elections. Gael championed legislation that gave local candidates free television airtime to reduce the costs of campaigning. We must expand on these proposals to help more people run for office and create a fair playing field for all.[6]
    		 ”
    —Gael Tarleton’s campaign website (2020)[8]


    Past elections[edit]

    2016[edit]

    See also: Washington Secretary of State election, 2016

    The general election for secretary of state was held on November 8, 2016.

    Incumbent Kim Wyman defeated Tina Podlodowski in the Washington secretary of state election.

    Washington Secretary of State, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.png Kim Wyman Incumbent 54.74% 1,713,004
         Democratic Tina Podlodowski 45.26% 1,416,299
    Total Votes 3,129,303
    Source: Washington Secretary of State


    See also[edit]

    Washington State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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    State government trifectas
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    Partisan composition of governors

    External links[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Washington is a vote-by-mail state. Early voting dates and polling hours apply to county-level vote centers where individuals can instead vote in person.
    2. ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Washington's Secretaries of State - Past and Present," accessed October 13, 2020
    3. ↑ Associated Press, "Voters weigh in on statewide offices on primary election day," August 4, 2020
    4. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
    5. ↑ This poll used a credibility interval as opposed to a margin of error.
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    7. ↑ Kim Wyman’s 2020 campaign website, “Issues,” accessed October 8, 2020
    8. ↑ Gael Tarleton’s 2020 campaign website, “Policies,” accessed October 8, 2020
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