SPOKANE, Wash. – Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and his office are getting ready to assist the Evergreen State’s 39 county governments this November.
Hobbs is focused on a handful of major security areas ahead of Nov. 5, including foreign election interference and misinformation.
“The number one threat that we have out there is nation-state actors. The Director of National Intelligence said that the Russians are going to try to interfere with the elections, and people need to know that it’s not presidential elections, they’ll go all the way down to city council races if necessary,” Hobbs said.
The secretary emphasized that foreign adversaries attempt to influence elections not just to favor a specific political party, but also to increase domestic political divides in order to make the US a weaker international power.
In addition to protecting Washington’s election infrastructure from cyberthreats, Hobbs is also focused on the actual ballots and associated mail.
The Secretary of State’s Office dealt with a safety scare during the November 2023 election when envelopes containing fentanyl were sent to the Spokane, King and Pierce county election offices. Hobbs emphasized that the state is working with the US Postal Service, FBI and Homeland Security to monitor potential threats.
“When we had the white powder incident…we were able to react quickly, so quickly that the USPS was able to intercept some of these envelopes,” Hobbes said.
In addition to focusing on protecting the Democratic process and those who facilitate that process, the Secretary is also focused on ensuring that voters have access to helpful registration information.
Given the civic responsibility of all citizens to vote, Washingtonians should make sure they are registered. You can check if your registration status by visiting VoteWA.gov. You can also physically register to vote at your county elections office up to the day of the election.
The 18-day voting period begins Oct. 18 and will last until 8 p.m. on election day. If you wait until Nov. 5 to vote, be sure to drop your ballot in an official elections box to ensure it is tallied.
