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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Secretary of State

Election Results

Candidate Votes Pct
Kim Wyman (R) 1,238,455 50.93%
Gael Tarleton (D) 1,053,584 43.32%
Ed Minger (I) 87,982 3.62%
Gentry Lange (P) 51,826 2.13%

* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.

The Candidates

Kim Wyman

Party:
Republican
Age:
62
City:
Snohomish, Washington

Education: Graduated from Lakewood High School in 1980. Received her bachelor's degree in communicative disorders in 1985 from California State University. Received her master's degree in public administration from Troy State University in 1990.

Political experience: Elected secretary of state in 2012 and 2016; served as Thurston County auditor 2001-2013;

Work experience: Former Thurston County elections manager and assistant records manager; former U.S. Army civilian training specialist; serves on board of several nonprofit organizations.

Family: Married to John Wyman. Has two children.

 

Gael Tarleton

Party:
Democratic
Age:
65
City:
Seattle, Washington

Education: Graduated from Manchester High School in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts in 1977. Received her bachelor's degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, with a concentration in Russian Studies, in 1981. Received her master's degree in government and national security studies from Georgetown University in 1983.

Political Experience: Elected to the state House of Representatives in 2012 and currently represents the 36th district. Elected as House Majority Floor Leader in 2015. Served as a commissioner at the Port of Seattle from 2008 to 2013.

Work Experience: Worked as a senior defense intelligence analyst for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. Served as the director of Eurasian Policy Studies at the National Bureau of Asian Research in Seattle. Served as the director of corporate and foundation relations for the University of Washington's College of Arts and Sciences. Worked for 12 years at a U.S. Fortune 300 technology company leading subsidiaries in Russia and Ukraine.

Family: Married to Bob Tarleton. No children. 

Ed Minger

Party:
Independent
Age:
37
City:
Puyallup, Washington

Education: Graduated from Cle Elum-Roslyn High School in 2005. Received his associate degree from Big Bend Community College in 2008. Received his bachelor's degree in in history education from Central Washington University in 2010.

Political Experience: None

Work Experience: Social studies teacher in Fife since 2016. Teacher in Grant, Kittitas and Pierce Counties since 2010.

Family: Long-term relationship and cares for two children.

Gentry Lange

Party:
Progressive
Age:
49
City:
Seattle, Washington

Education: Graduated from Larkin High School in Elgin, Illinois in 1993. Received his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Washington in 1998.

Political Experience: Worked as the campaign manager for Andy Stephenson's Secretary of State campaign in 2004. Ran for King County Executive for the Green Party in 2005. Ran for the Bremerton City Council in 2009.

Work Experience: Worked in the Internet Technologies industry. Real estate broker since 2014.

Family: Married to Ingrid Tohver. Has one child.

Complete Coverage

Despite more threats, Washington voting system not breached, elections officials say

OLYMPIA –  Although attempts to disrupt the U.S. elections have increased, Washington’s voting system is safer than it was in 2016 and has withstood any attacks, state and local elections officials said Monday.

Secretary of State debate: Wyman vs. Tarleton

Incumbent Republican Kim Wyman debates Democrat Gael Tarleton in a forum hosted by the Thurston County chapter of the League of Women Voters of Washington.

Truth-test: Secretary of State candidates attack each other’s partisan ties

In the race for secretary of state, each candidate has questioned the other’s partisan ties, claiming the chief elections officer should be nonpartisan when it comes to elections. But both candidates’ partisan ties have defined their campaigns.

Ballots in Spokane and many other counties in Washington will be mailed one week early

Counties across the state will mail their ballots Oct. 8 and 9 early — one week earlier than the required 18-day voting period — amid national concerns changes at the U.S. Postal Service would cause delays in election mail.

In race for secretary of state, candidates disagree over how to instill confidence in voters amid USPS, vote-by-mail concerns

Incumbent Secretary of State Kim Wyman said county election officials have been well prepared to handle the extra demands of a pandemic, while her Democratic challenger state Rep. Gael Tarleton said the Republican needs to do more to defend Washington’s system of voting by mail. 

Washington election officials issue emergency rule change to ensure mail-in ballots are received on time

The Washington Secretary of State’s office issued an emergency rule Wednesday requiring county election officials to use first-class postage to mail ballots to voters within 15 days of November’s election, seeking to ensure ballots are delivered on time amid concerns over delays at the Postal Service.

Washington Democrats support probe of postal service

As Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the U.S. House of Representatives back into session this week to investigate the Postal Service, Washington Democrats in both chambers criticized plans to reorganize the mail system and the state’s attorney general was considering legal action.

Two Democrats to face off for Washington lieutenant governor in November

A Democrat is almost guaranteed to be Washington’s next lieutenant governor.

Secretary of state candidates debate in League of Women Voters forum

OLYMPIA – The four candidates vying for Washington’s secretary of state position debated election reform, including how to improve voter access and how to keep Washington’s vote-by-mail system, in a League of Women Voters forum on Thursday.

Election reform in focus as 3 candidates challenge incumbent Secretary of State

Three candidates will take on Republican incumbent Secretary of State Kim Wyman in the Aug. 4 primary, and as COVID-19 forces the country to rethink voting systems, election reform is on candidates’ minds.

Precinct committee candidates who filed online may have to refile

Washington Democrats and Republicans who filed online to run for precinct committee officer will need to do it again by Friday afternoon.

With Inslee running for re-election, other Democrats staying put

By running for a third term, Gov. Jay Inslee has kept more Democrats in place in the 2020 elections but energized Republicans.

Candidates who are broke will get a break when filling to get their names on the ballot

Washington candidates who can’t afford the filing fee next week won’t have to go the alternate route of gathering a voter’s signature for every $1 in the fee.

All-mail voting isn’t subject to fraud – but wouldn’t be easy for nation to adopt, experts say

Critics say all-mail voting is more subject to fraud. Fans say the whole country should switch to that system for November elections. They’re probably both wrong.

State’s top election official says Postal Service critical to Washington elections

An underfunded or broke United States Postal Service could threaten the freedom and fairness of Washington’s elections, the state’s top election official said Wednesday.

Sexual health education bill signed but could be on ballot this November

A controversial bill requiring comprehensive sexual health education be taught at various points in a student’s years in public schools was signed into law Friday, but opponents will try to get voters to reject it in November.

Vicky Dalton and Kim Wyman: What you need to know about Washington’s March 10 presidential primary

We respect that some voters don’t want to affiliate with either of these political parties and will choose not to participate in this political party decision. We just want you to know the facts and the impacts so that you make an informed decision.

Secretary of State will vote in presidential primary but not declare her party, so it won’t count

Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman says she won’t check the Republican box on her presidential primary ballot because she doesn’t publicly support candidates, and there’s only one candidate on the GOP ballot.

Senate panel considers election security measures

Washington lawmakers may face a tough choice between election security and giving overseas troops a way they can cast a ballot.