A person walks near the Legislative Building, Wednesday, April 21, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (Credit: Ted S. Warren / AP) Listen (Runtime 1:04) Read While people who […]Read More
Huge voter turnout and same-day registration caused long delays at UI Student Rec CenterRead More
Democrats Chelsea Dimas, Maria Beltran and Ana Ruiz Kennedy are running in Washington’s 14th Legislative District in central Washington. They were the targets of some GOP text messages to Spanish-speaking […]Read More
Community members registered to vote and learned about their voter registration status at an event hosted by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. (Credit: Courtney Flatt / NWPB) […]Read More
Ballot drop boxes at Washington State University (Credit: Phineas Pope / NWPB) Listen (Runtime 3:16) Read “Voter fraud” might be the first thing you think when someone mentions election security. […]Read More
In high school classrooms and on college campuses, students learn about the U.S. system of governance and the country’s political history. This November, some get to make their voice heard in those systems for the first time as voters.
In the Northwest, the issues driving some of these voters vary; from social issues to economics to housing. Still, others are choosing Read More
This report is a collaborative effort of a Murrow College of Communication journalism class. Students were asked to report on individual attitudes towards the 2024 election. This story is the result of more than 30 on-campus interviews and hours of collaboration and research.Read More
A Free the Vote Washington coalition sign in Richland, Washington. The coalition is encouraging people with past felony convictions to register to vote, which has been their right since a […]Read More
If you were to drive the farthest west you can in Washington, you’d reach Clallam County. That’s on the tip of the Olympic Peninsula, nestled between the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean. It’s a remote, wide county, where you can visit Olympic National Park and drive from sunny Sequim to rainy Forks. It’s a place known for its beauty and for its Read More
Left, Dan Newhouse (Credit: Dan Newhouse) Right, Jerrod Sessler (Credit: Jerrod Sessler) Listen (Runtime 1:03) Read U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse has fallen behind in votes against Donald Trump-endorsed challenger Jerrod […]Read More
Listen (Runtime 1:30) Read In Tuesday’s gubernatorial primary election, Washington state’s current Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Dave Reichert, a former U.S. Representative for Washington’s 8th Congressional District, emerged as […]Read More
Volunteers supporting the Idaho open primaries ballot initiative gather at Ivywild Park in Boise, Idaho, on April 27. (Credit: Kyle Green / AP Photo) Watch Listen (Runtime 1:04) Read This […]Read More
A few months from now, people across Washington state will vote in this year’s general election. Most will vote by mail, with the ballot mailed to them from their county auditor.
Voters will fill out their ballots, sign the envelopes and drop them off in a ballot box or send them in the post, where a team of election workers will accept those ballots and send them over to Read More
The skepticism in how elections work and their accuracy has become a hot topic on social media, at the dinner table and in the news.
Kyle Haugh, Pierce County elections manager, said since 2016, there’s been a spike in interest in how elections are administered. Read More
By: Jeanie Lindsey, Northwest News Network A federal judge has finally determined what legislative district boundaries will look like in central Washington. It comes after months of legal back and […]Read More
The longest-serving city councilmember in Lamont, Washington’s second smallest town, worries the town could face disincorporation if she retires.Read More
In the Pierce County elections center, a small crowd gathered just outside of the ballot tabulation room on the morning of Oct. 17. With packets in front of them that show expected results and pens ready to catch any mistakes, the observers were there to make sure Pierce County’s ballot counting system is ready for the general election. Read More
Jacob Johns speaks at an event September 19, 2023 in Spokane, Washington after unveiling his “Free the Vote” mural. (Credit: Jeff Ferguson) Listen (Runtime :57) Read Jacob Johns is an […]Read More
The goal of the Idahoans for Open Primaries initiative is to bring ranked-choice voting and open primaries to Idaho. If enough signatures are gathered, the initiative will be on the […]Read More
The Washington Supreme Court denied the appeal challenging the constitutionality of the Washington State Voting Rights Act on the Latino voting rights lawsuit against Franklin County. The Court’s opinion came only a month after the judges heard oral arguments from the parties involved. Read More
The Washington State Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the Latino voting rights lawsuit against Franklin County. The hearing comes one year after Latino voters settled an agreement with the county to create single-member district systems for elections. But during the case, a Franklin County citizen challenged the constitutionality of the Washington State Voting Rights Read More
Numerous Democrats in the Washington Legislature are backing a new proposal to make voting in elections compulsory. Citizens are required by law to cast ballots in about 25 counties, but in no other U.S. states.Read More
More eyes are on ballots in the Tri-Cities area this election, according to reports from the Benton County auditor.Read More
Private voting booth at Benton County Auditor Listen Thousands of Benton and Franklin County adults are living with disabilities. Most are legally eligible to vote. As the general election approaches, […]Read More
An investigation by the King County Sheriff’s Office into a ballot drop box surveillance effort organized by conservative activists has wrapped up without criminal charges.Read More
Photo by Phil Scroggs on Unsplash Listen (Runtime 1:49) Read The primary election in Washington will be certified on August 16th and many races are still very close. Is it […]Read More
A newsroom in Yakima was preparing for election night coverage and running tests of their system when it went live. Now two 4th Congressional Candidates in Eastern Washington have filed complaints.Read More
The Benton County Auditor is testing a new paid ballot observer program this year using members of partisan and nonpartisan organizations. Read More
Mal-information post Listen (Runtime 2:35) Read State Representative Brad Klippert has been using his Congressional Campaign social media account to encourage people to monitor drop-boxes and report suspicious activities. Representative […]Read More
For nearly six decades, Republicans held Washington's top election post — Secretary of State. That streak ended last November when Kim Wyman resigned to take an election security post with the Biden administration, and Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Democratic state Sen. Steve Hobbs to the post.Read More
A More Perfect Union is a media project that explores the complexities of our democracy in order to help strengthen it. Through radio programs, podcasts, and oral histories, A More Perfect […]Read More
Franklin County Auditor Matt Beaton, SOS Steve Hobbs, Benton County Auditor Brenda Chilton Listen (Runtime 1:10) Read Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is touring the state to inform citizens […]Read More
As the 2022 midterm elections loom, a partisan battle over access to the ballot box continues to be fought in Congress and in state legislatures across the country. Red states are passing new restrictions, while many blue states are making voting more accessible. That includes Washington.Read More
Organizations in Yakima County are motivating Latinx voters to get to the polls on Elections Day. Informational sessions and events are part of the strategies.Read More
Ahead of the first Fourth of July since an attack on the Capitol, fueled by baseless claims of voter fraud, and as several GOP-led states work now to enact stricter voting rules, majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents express worry about the health of democracy.Read More
Democrats' massive election overhaul bill aimed at protecting and expanding voting rights and reforming campaign finance laws has stalled in the Senate.Read More
Responding to concerns raised by the U.S. Justice Department about aspects of a controversial election review, the leader of Arizona's state Senate says plans to go door-to-door asking residents about their voting history are "indefinitely" on hold.Read More
The far-right media outlet Newsmax, which amplified former President Donald Trump's false allegations of election rigging and widespread voter fraud, said on Friday there is no evidence that Dominion Voting Systems and one of its top employees, Eric Coomer, manipulated election results in 2020.Read More
Fox News says a New York court should dismiss Smartmatic's $2.7 billon lawsuit against the cable TV network and some of its hosts, saying its coverage of bogus election-fraud claims is protected by the First Amendment. Fox also says the voting technology company hasn't backed up its allegations of "actual malice" related to its defamation claims.Read More
Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday signed a bill automatically restoring voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies, even if they are still on parole — a measure sponsored by a lawmaker who was herself formerly incarcerated.Read More
Legislation making it more difficult to get initiatives or referendums on ballots is heading to the governor, who has hinted of a possible veto. The House voted 51-18 on Wednesday to approve the measure backers said is needed because the current process favors urban voters. It passed the Senate 26-9 last month. Those numbers are enough to overcome a veto.Read More
Major League Baseball's 2021 All-Star Game will be played in Colorado's Coors Field, the league says, after it canceled plans for Atlanta to host baseball's midseason centerpiece. The change came in response to Georgia's controversial new voting law, which the MLB says is against its values.Read More
Washington state lawmakers have voted to automatically restore voting rights to people who have been released from prison after committing felonies,
even if they’re still on parole. With the support of majority Democrats, the state Senate passed the measure 27-22 Wednesday night, following earlier approval by the House. It now heads to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who is Read More
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed a massive overhaul of election laws, shortly after the Republican-controlled state legislature approved it. The bill enacts new limitations on mail-in voting, expands most voters' access to in-person early voting and caps a months-long battle over voting in a battleground state.Read More
Covering a bill making its way through Olympia that could impact the voting rights of 26,000 people.Read More
Deepening polarization is eroding faith in the electoral and democratic process on which our democracy depends. What can we do to cultivate mutual respect, repair damaged relationships, and reweave a civic fabric frayed from years of growing division? Read More
The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments Tuesday in a major voting rights case that could give state legislatures a green light to change voting laws, making it more difficult for some to vote.Read More
Legislation to make permanent changes in Idaho’s absentee ballot counting procedure passed the Senate on Thursday and is headed to the House. The state Senate voted 35-0 to approve the bill intended to speed absentee vote counting. It was used in the last general election and spurred by the coronavirus pandemic.Read More
Dominion Voting Systems has filed suit against former President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani over baseless claims he's made that Dominion was at the center of a scheme to perpetuate widespread election fraud.Read More
If you've been riding an emotional, politics-fueled rollercoaster in 2021 (not to mention 2020), believe us: Your kids have noticed. Here's a quick primer from Life Kit on how to talk with your kids about politics — and, even get them thinking about civics.Read More
