Spokesman Review
Editorial
Experience matters
October 15, 2008
Secretary of State
In 2001, when Sam Reed took office as Washington's Secretary of State, citizens were angry and discouraged about voting irregularities during the 2000 presidential election. The term "hanging chad" entered the lexicon, and every state's voting system came under intense scrutiny.
During his two terms in office, Reed has responded to voters' concerns about election integrity. His office centralized the state's voter registration system; 400,000 ineligible voters were removed from voter lists. Reed, a Republican, worked across party lines to retain Washington voters' ability to pick the top two primary candidates, regardless of party affiliation. The Supreme Court concurred.
Reed also worked systematically to preserve Washington's history. He helped save the state library, in danger from budget cuts in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, the state's digital archives went online at Eastern Washington University; 32 million public documents are now accessible. And last session the Legislature approved funding for the Washington State Heritage Center to be built on the Capitol campus in Olympia.
Reed is also proud of the fact that citizens now can file articles of incorporation online and be in business within 48 hours, rather than the six weeks it once took.
Democrat Jason Osgood, co-founder of Washington Citizens for Fair Elections, is Reed's opponent. The Seattle software developer says he wishes to "restore the sanctity of the secret ballot," but he offers few specifics.
Reed's commitment and enthusiasm for citizens' voting rights – and for preservation of the state's long history – make him the easy choice in this race.