Elections in Washington |
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In Washington, elections are authorized by Articles II, III, and IV of the Washington State Constitution, which respectively include the establishment of elections for the legislative, executive, and judiciary branches of the state government; Article VI establishes election procedures and rights.
Washington uses a vote-by-mail system under the supervision of the Secretary of State, mandated statewide since 2011. Counties were previously able to choose between it and in-person voting from 2005 onward, of which all but one adopted vote-by-mail by 2011.[1]
In a 2020 study, Washington was ranked as the 2nd easiest state for citizens to vote in.[2]
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The oddities of the first American election - Kenneth C. Davis
Transcription
Lawn signs sprouting everywhere. Round-the-clock ads on radio and television. The phone rings. It's a robo-call from the president, or his opponent, asking for your money, and your vote. And while you're at it, watch their YouTube videos and like them on Facebook. Election time. We all know the look and feel of modern campaigns. But what was it like in the early days of the Republic, when, say, George Washington ran for office? Well, in fact, he didn't run. When Washington became the first president in 1789, there were no political parties, no conventions or primaries, no campaign, no election season. Not really any candidates. Even the year was odd. Literally. 1789 was the only presidential election ever held in an odd year. After the framers invented the constitution and the presidency 225 years ago, the country set about the business of choosing its first executive. Agreeing with Ben Franklin, many people thought "The first man at the helm will be a good one," and by that, Franklin meant George Washington. Greatest hero of the Revolution, Washington presided over the convention that created the constitution, rarely speaking. He never discussed the job of president, or of wanting it. And when the first presidential election took place, it was a crazy-quilt affair, with many hands stitching the pattern. Under the new constitution, each state was given a number of electors. who would cast a vote for two names. The man with the most votes would be president, the second-place finisher was vice president. Ah, but who picked the electors? That was left up to the states. Six of them let the people decide, or at least white men over 21 who owned property. In New Jersey, some women voted, a right later taken away. But in other states, the legislature picked the electors. At that time, many people thought democracy was one step away from mob rule and a decision this important should be left to wiser men. These electors then voted for president. All the states had to do was get their votes in on time. But there were glitches. Only 10 of the 13 states voted. Rhode Island and North Carolina hadn't ratified the constitution and couldn't vote. New York missed the deadline for naming its electors, and also was not counted. When the votes were tallied, it was unanimous. George Washington won easily. John Adams trailed far behind, finishing second, and became the vice president. Told of his victory, George Washington was not surprised. At Mount Vernon, his bags were already packed. He moved to New York City, the nation's temporary capital, and he would have to figure out just what a president was supposed to do. Since that first election, American democracy and elections have come a long way. The constitution has been changed to open up voting to more people: black men, women, Native Americans, and eighteen-year-olds included. Getting that basic right extended to all those people has been a long, hard struggle. So when you think you can't stand any more of those lawn signs, and TV ads, just remember: the right to vote wasn't always for everyone, and that's a piece of history worth knowing.
1996
- 1996 United States presidential election in Washington (state)
- 1996 Washington gubernatorial election
2000
- 2000 United States presidential election in Washington (state)
- 2000 United States Senate election in Washington
- 2000 Washington gubernatorial election
2002
2004
- 2004 United States presidential election in Washington (state)
- 2004 United States Senate election in Washington
- 2004 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
- 2004 Washington gubernatorial election
- Washington attorney general election, 2004
- Washington secretary of state election, 2004
- Washington ballot measures, 2004
2006
- 2006 United States Senate election in Washington
- 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
- 2006 Washington State local elections
2008
- 2008 United States presidential election in Washington (state)
- 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
- 2008 Washington gubernatorial election
- Washington attorney general election, 2008
- Washington secretary of state election, 2008
- Washington State local elections, 2008
2009
- 2009 Washington State local elections
- 2009 Seattle mayoral election
2010
- 2010 United States Senate election in Washington
- 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
2012
2013
2014
2016
- 2016 United States presidential election in Washington (state)
- 2016 United States Senate election in Washington
- 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
- 2016 Washington gubernatorial election
2017
2018
- 2018 United States Senate election in Washington
- 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
2020
Federal elections
- 2020 United States presidential election in Washington (state)
- 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington
State elections
- 2020 Washington gubernatorial election
- 2020 Washington State Senate election
- 2020 Washington House of Representatives election
2022
Federal elections
State elections
See also
- Political party strength in Washington (state)
- United States presidential elections in Washington (state)
- Nonpartisan blanket primary
References
- ^ "Washington State Vote-By-Mail (VBM) Fact Sheet" (PDF). Washington Office of the Secretary of State - Elections Division. February 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
- ^ J. Pomante II, Michael; Li, Quan (15 Dec 2020). "Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020". Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy. 19 (4): 503–509. doi:10.1089/elj.2020.0666. S2CID 225139517.
External links
- Elections & Voting at the Washington Secretary of State official website
- Washington at Ballotpedia
- "State Elections Legislation Database", Ncsl.org, Washington, D.C.: National Conference of State Legislatures,
State legislation related to the administration of elections introduced in 2011 through this year, 2020