By Sam Reed, Ralph Munro, and Bruce Chapman, Sam Reed, Ralph Munro, and Bruce Chapman, Guest columnists
Accessible, accurate, and secure elections are the cornerstone of our government. All voters must have confidence that our representatives have been fairly elected. Because of this, all election administrators must demonstrate non-partisan actions in their work, lest voters lose trust in elections.
We are writing to bring some perspective to the position of Washington’s Secretary of State, our head elections official. Together, we have a combined 37 years of continuous service in the office. We know what it takes to run Washington’s elections. Maintaining a competent, non-partisan, and impartial approach to the office is the primary thing a Secretary of State can and must do.Washington leads the nation in voting. Our state is consistently ranked at or near the top of the nation in voter turnout, number of voters registered, and election system innovations. We have an accessible system. On top of that, Washington has made strides to keep our voting secure, ensuring that while it is easy for eligible voters to vote, we maintain the security and integrity of elections.
Without well-run elections, confidence in government would completely collapse. Elections are not easy to run, and when they go wrong, people lose trust in government. Voters of all parties and ideologies must believe that our elections are fair and impartial and that our voting systems are accurate and secure.
It is essential for all election administrators to be committed to the ideal of impartial and non-partisan administration of elections. Washington has a long history of fair and impartial election managers, and it is more important than ever to keep our elections accessible, accurate, and secure.
Washington state is a nationally recognized leader that has kept its edge in voter registration, turnout, and ballot security. In the midst the angry world of politics, which now seems more ugly than ever, we should all be grateful that our election system is trustworthy, accurate, secure, and accessible for all voters.
Sam Reed, Ralph Munro, and Bruce Chapman are former Washington Secretaries of State
