Earlier this month, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs announced that the fee his office charges to file initiatives to the Legislature had increased — from the $5 that has been charged since the initiative process was established in a 1912 state constitutional amendment — to an inflation-adjusted $156.

As recently as 2015, some of those folks — let’s call them the League of Initiative Frequent Filers — have capitalized on the low fee in order to file multiple versions of the same proposal with only minor changes, with the hopes of getting assigned a “catchy” initiative number or ballot title.

Tim Eyman, in past years among the league’s more prolific initiative backers, filed some 86 initiatives in 2016, only to withdraw 61 of them later. But that year, Eyman was late in announcing his withdrawal of one initiative that had made it as far as review by a Thurston County Superior Court judge, regarding a challenge by Eyman of the measure’s wording. The judge, the morning of the hearing, spent up to two hours reviewing briefs, only to learn moments before the hearing that the initiative had been withdrawn.

The judge fined Eyman $600 for the oversight.

The backer of the six initiatives filed that advanced this year, state Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, filed 69 proposals last year, with backing from the Let’s Go Washington political action committee, founded by Brian Heywood, a Redmond-based hedge fund manager. This year, Walsh has so far filed three initiatives, all on the same subject.

Another frequent filer, Larry Jensen, has filed 23 this year, seven of which address the same subject, with two to three versions of others, most filed prior to the fee change.

For those filing initiatives that seek changes or additions to state law, the $156 filing fee shouldn’t represent an obtrusive hurdle; those campaign will have greater costs ahead of them in gathering signatures and campaigning for a measure’s passage. And, the increase may or may not discourage the League of Initiative Frequent Filers from submitting multiple versions of the same proposal, just to game the system.

But that doesn’t mean that the state has to keep it cheap for them to do so.

As he demonstrated last week in Yakima, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is a gamer at heart.

Teaming up with his old friend, state Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, Hobbs was at the Richard E. Ostrander West Valley Community Library for the unboxing of the first of 75 Dungeons & Dragons game kits being donated to libraries statewide.

The kits are a gift from Renton’s Wizards of the Coast, which specializes in fantasy and science fiction-based games. The hope, Hobbs explained during a Thursday interview with the YH-R’s Editorial Board, is that it’ll give kids more reasons to visit local public libraries.

Hobbs’ love of gaming is well-known. But this year, the former military officer and state senator is facing what is perhaps the greatest quest of his decades of public service: preventing malicious actors from interfering with this November’s pivotal general election.

The threats come from America’s enemies — inside and outside the country.

They involve anything from attempts to hack into voter databases to cyber attacks meant to paralyze or take hostage government websites. Fortunately, Washington’s voting tabulation systems aren’t connected to the internet, so state election results can’t be hacked. But that doesn’t stop online predators from pawing at other public circuits.

To safeguard the public, Washington employs several sophisticated technological tools that monitor suspicious traffic, protect sensitive information and alert system managers to any signs of trouble.

So far, the work of Hobbs and other secretaries of state around the country has successfully safeguarded our elections through vicious and despicable attempts to alter, distort and discredit them. Despite all the efforts to damage our system, our elections remain — provably — the most accurate in the world.

Hobbs’ job won’t be an easy one this year, but we suspect his skills as a D&D dragon slayer will come in handy.

We all should hope they’re strong enough to prevail against the trolls and ogres he’ll encounter along the way.

Problems involving undelivered ballots in King and Pierce counties are disturbing, but not for the reasons MAGA Republicans would have us believe.

As of last week, 124 completed ballots for the Nov. 7 election had been found in disused mailboxes in the Puget Sound area. The ballots were discovered after voters raised concerns that the boxes were not being emptied.

The Washington secretary of state’s office reported: “Because the ballots were found days after Election Day, they were delivered late to the appropriate county elections offices. Under the provisions of state law found in RCW 29A.40.110 (4), elections officials have used the dates provided on the ballot envelopes to help determine ballot validity.”

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, the state’s top election official, wrote to the U.S. Postal Service: “This deeply unsettling and potentially disenfranchising situation requires immediate attention and improvement so it never happens again to Washington voters. I am very proud of the longstanding partnership between state and local elections officials and the USPS, which gives me full confidence that appropriate steps will be taken.”

…Hobbs is correct when he says that such an action should never again happen to Washington voters.

In what might have been a practice run for the 2024 election, an unknown individual or group interfered with the Nov. 7 election by sending envelopes — at least some of which contained traces of fentanyl, and messages demanding an end to the election — to election offices in five Washington counties…

A similar suspicious envelope was received by Snohomish County’s election office, but — noticed after news broke of the envelopes sent to King, Skagit, Pierce and Spokane counties — it was left unopened and turned over to investigators with the FBI. Similar envelopes were received in Oregon, California, Nevada and Georgia.

While fentanyl cannot cause poisoning or overdose from contact, the mailing of white powder echoed threatening mailings in the days that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in which anthrax, an infectious bacteria, was sent to members of Congress and several media offices, killing five people and sickening 17.

Even if nothing more dangerous than baking powder was included in the envelopes, the intention to cause panic and interfere with the election is clear. Nor is it hyperbole to consider the mailing of the letters an act to elicit fear, as described a day after the election by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs.

“These incidents are acts of terrorism to threaten our elections,” Hobbs said in a news release, and called for action to protect election workers and elections themselves.

“The safety of staff and observers is paramount as elections workers across the state open envelopes and count each voter’s ballot,” he said. “These incidents underscore the critical need for stronger protections for all election workers. Democracy rests upon free and fair elections.”

“The state Legislature created new laws to help ensure the integrity of elections and increase access to the ballot. All were enacted at the request of Secretary of State Steve Hobbs.

“One measure allows for online voter registration with the last four digits of a Social Security number instead of a driver’s license or state ID number.

“Another makes voter registration automatic for people who have proved their citizenship while applying for an enhanced driver’s license or enhanced state ID card.

“Still another bill prohibits political campaigns from using false images, videos or audio without a disclosure that the material has been manipulated…

“All of these changes are reasonable and welcome, and come at time when trust in our voting system has been challenged. These new measures help safeguard voting just in time for this year’s elections and beyond.”

“The problem with Donald Trump’s persistent falsehoods about voter fraud and a “stolen election” isn’t so much that people believe the lies. It’s that a small seed of doubt is planted; citizens become emboldened to ignore any truth that doesn’t fit their preconceived beliefs — whether or not there is evidence to support those beliefs.

“Even among citizens who recognize Trump for the charlatan that he is, this undermines our democracy. And it has led many Republican-controlled states to roll back voting rights inch by inch, bolstered by specious claims of election malfeasance.

“In September, Election Law Journal reported that in the previous 12 months, 19 states had passed 33 new laws making voting more difficult. That is no way to run a democracy, and it makes us grateful to live in a state that respects voting as an inherent right for all American citizens.

“The Legislature this year reinforced that ethos, passing legislation requested by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs to enhance voter access and protect the election process.”

“Washington appears to be the only state where the person who oversees elections also runs prison libraries. So perhaps it’s not surprising that Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is planning to start civics education for people in prison. However, it is unusual.

“Hobbs’ civics-in-prison course will be part of his broad effort to engage populations often overlooked in voter outreach, particularly low-income and Native communities. “We can’t just urge voting,” he told The Seattle Times editorial board last week. “We have to explain how your ballot is processed…

“As part of this push, Hobbs secured $352,000 during the just-completed legislative session for a library at the Green Hill juvenile detention center, where 200 young men are serving criminal sentences.

“It is the secretary of state’s mission to encourage voter participation wherever possible. Hobbs is finding ripe terrain where few have looked before.

“With partisan rancor bubbling like magma beneath the nation’s elections system, Washington must uphold its high standard of accessible, trustable democracy. Running the state’s all-mail elections, along with a passel of other responsibilities, is in the hands of the Secretary of State, an office from which Washington has enjoyed steady, fair-minded leadership for decades…

“His military service made him a quick study on the office’s cooperation with the Guard to defend elections against high-tech threats. Hobbs has fought the malignant distrust in elections by stepping up voter outreach campaigns and creating a new department within the agency to bat down bad information. These aren’t theoretical problems. Russia-based online interaction with Washington’s elections infrastructure was detected in the 2016 election cycle and again this year. And inaccurate information in some Washington counties undercut local cooperation with the state’s threat-monitoring technology. Hobbs understands the severity of the situation…

“…[Hobbs] sterling credentials, demonstrated independence, constituent-focused service and proven abilities makes him the best choice for Secretary of State.”

"During a year in office, Hobbs has proven adept at combating threats — both foreign and domestic — to Washington’s elections."

“Hobbs also is focusing on voter outreach, not only to get more citizens involved in the process but also to better inform the electorate about security measures. For example, machines that count ballots are not connected to the internet — a fact misunderstood by much of the public.”

"Hobbs is trained to enhance protections. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Washington National Guard and has studied cyberattacks and information warfare at the Defense Information School and the Command and General Staff College."

"As a legislator, Hobbs demonstrated an ability to find bipartisan solutions to vexing problems."

"The Columbian’s Editorial Board recommends Steve Hobbs for secretary of state."

“As the state’s chief election officer, the Secretary of State office’s importance has only increased since the 2020 election because of unfounded accusations among some — even in the face of a range of improvements in voter access and election security, integrity and reliability — that have cast doubt on state and national elections…

“Hobbs, provided the advantage of his appointment to the office, has not coasted while waiting for the election. Since taking office in November, Hobbs has adopted policies and shepherded improvements that have added to what Wyman left in place.

“Hobbs has enhanced the state’s election system’s security and cybersecurity, building on his own experience as a lieutenant colonel in the state Army National Guard and continuing a previous secretary of state relationship with the National Guard to upgrade and test against simulated attacks on computer systems. As well he has secured funding from the Legislature to hire more technicians for the office’s security center.

“Hobbs also is working at the county level on voter outreach and education. That advocacy work continues, Hobbs said, as he seeks funding for a pilot project that would establish an “SOS” response team to address specific problems of individual counties with cybersecurity or other issues.

“Regarding a broader concern, Hobbs said, he intends to seek legislation that would address “deep fakes,” which can digitally manipulate audio and video to make people — in particular candidates — appear to say and do things they have not. That’s in addition to current efforts to address misinformation and disinformation regarding elections, candidates and ballot measures that can sap voter confidence, including working with social media platforms to take down and correct inaccurate and misleading posts…

“Hobbs has earned the endorsement — not because of his appointment to the office — but because of what he has done in less than a year serving in that office.”

“In our interview, Hobbs also emphasized the need to expand access to voting information and ballots in languages other than English; currently, a county only has to provide voting materials in other languages if more than 5 percent of its population “are members of a single language minority group, have depressed literacy rates, and do not speak English very well,” according to federal voting rights law. The longtime ex-legislator said he would lobby lawmakers to fund additional voting materials for minority language groups and hire trusted community messengers to distribute voting information, a tactic that has worked in other arenas, including fighting misinformation about COVID vaccine.”

“So why are we endorsing Hobbs over Anderson? It goes back to that seemingly simple label: “Nonpartisan.” In an ideal world, the job of overseeing elections would not only be nonpartisan, it probably wouldn’t even be elected—it’s pretty weird, when you think about it, that we fickle, partisan voters get to decide who holds a fundamentally administrative position. But we don’t live in a perfect world; we live in a hyperpartisan, fragile democracy in which one party believes in free and fair elections and the other believes COVID was a hoax and that Donald Trump won the 2020 election despite no evidence of fraud. In this context, in this election year, declaring yourself “nonpartisan” is a denial of the real forces that threaten our democracy—not just against cyber warfare and election disinformation, but the future of free and fair elections. For this reason, PubliCola picks Democrat Steve Hobbs for secretary of state.”

“Luckily for the state’s election infrastructure, [Secretary of State Steve] Hobbs actually has relevant experience to fill this role effectively. As a lieutenant colonel in the Washington State National Guard, he’s got experience running large operations and combating security threats. As someone who studied at the Department of Defense’s information school, he’s equipped with the skills to squash misinformation and disinformation circulated by GOP nutjobs and Russian trolls with cute usernames. And as an extremely centrist lawmaker, he knows how to move legislation through Olympia and who to call when it stops.

“Though he’s only held the job for a little while, he’s already acted on some good ideas to improve turnout, including a text messaging program that contacts people with rejected ballots and a trusted-messenger program to increase voter outreach statewide. He says he’s also mostly defused a Republican conspiracy theory about Albert sensors, tools counties use to track election data.

“The other candidates are far-right Republicans, but nonpartisan candidate Julie Anderson’s years of experience overseeing elections as Pierce County’s auditor showed through in her thorough answers to our questions. However, we part ways when she starts stumping for the biggest plank in her platform: creating more nonpartisan races.

“Though her emphasis on creating more “nonpartisan” races sounds like a smart way to reduce tribalism, it’s not. A 2007 study found nonpartisan races benefit the minority party. Since Republicans represent a minority in WA, switching a couple statewide races to “nonpartisan” and working to increase nonpartisan prevalence down-ballot, as Anderson says she wants to do, would effectively help the GOP.

“And when people don’t see a D or an R next to a candidate’s name, white supremacy fills the information gap. Just ask WA State Supreme Court Justice Steven González. In 2012, 43% of voters in his ~nonpartisan~ race chose a totally unqualified opponent just because he had a white-sounding name.

“You know what else helps the GOP? Testifying against a bill to add ballot drop boxes to college campuses, which Anderson did back in 2013. Suddenly, Anderson doesn’t seem so “nonpartisan” to us. Vote Hobbs.”

“…Hobbs has proved in his short tenure thus far that he can withstand the partisan winds that pervade the current discourse on election security. In February, Hobbs was quick to speak out against the Ferry County commission’s decision to unplug a state-provided cybersecurity device from the county network after the predominately Republican commission voiced unfounded distrust…”

“Hobbs, too, has the April special election and August primary election under his belt as the incumbent. And importantly, we believe Hobbs is better equipped to handle the increasing politicization of elections, as his background as a state senator lends him the nose to sniff out the politics…”

“We are positive Washington state’s recent success in voter engagement and turnout will continue under Anderson or Hobbs, but the latter has proven in the last year that he is well-suited for the job and deserving of another term.

“Vote Hobbs.”

“Democracy itself is on the ballot in our upcoming mid-term elections…

“What is happening in America now is also happening in other parts of the world, in a global move away from liberal democracies to authoritarian forms of government.

“Here at home, this movement aims to reduce access to voting — an indicator that our country too is stepping toward a form of governance in which the leaders, not the people, make the decisions.

“So let’s turn out to vote, Vashon, and do what we can, in our small way, to stem the tide.

“There are important races on our ballot — including one to determine who will oversee our own state elections, as Secretary of State.

“We believe that Steve Hobbs, a cybersecurity expert, a longtime bipartisan leader in the Washington State Senate, and lieutenant colonel in the Washington Army National Guard, should stay in his job.

“Since his appointment as Secretary of State, his stated priorities have been to increase the cybersecurity readiness of our state, combat malicious disinformation, and implement voter-education programs to reach a broad swath of young and previously underserved blocks of voters.

“In other words, he’s an election enthusiast, someone who proudly believes that everyone should have the right to vote.”

“Combating misinformation with the truth is a constant battle.

“As Jonathan Swift wrote in 1710, “Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it.” That has morphed over time into a quote typically misattributed to Mark Twain: “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes…”

“As we saw on Jan. 6, 2021, misinformation is hazardous for our democracy. So are cyberthreats to our election systems, with foreign actors repeatedly looking for vulnerabilities.

“The threats are real, and we have to be more proactive,” Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs told the Editorial Board last week during a visit to The Columbian.”

“[Hobbs] has outlined his and his agency’s plans to protect and strengthen public trust in the state and county-run election systems, focusing on three areas:

“Security operations: Further protecting the online parts of election systems from cyberattacks by malicious actors, foreign or domestic;

“Information integrity: Answering the unintentional misinformation and intentional disinformation that can crop up regarding elections, candidates and issues that can create doubt and discourage voter participation, fighting it with fact-checking and information from legitimate sources; and

“Equity in voter outreach: Deploying resources that can serve all counties to make sure eligible voters have the education and resources necessary to register and vote.”

“Today, of course — thanks in large part to lies spread by former President Donald Trump and his supporters — everyone has an opinion on the state of our elections. To hear the eight — count ‘em, eight! — candidates vying for Secretary of State in this year’s primary election tell it, Washington all-mail voting system is either one of the very best systems in the country, or one that’s in serious need of upgrades, safeguards and in some cases complete overhauls (spoiler: none of the dire assessments hold water)…”

“Hobbs… is new to the position, but the interim leader nonetheless impressed the TNT Editorial Board with his knowledge, his story and his straightforward approach to an important role that has historically flown under the radar…”

“A former state senator in the 44th Legislative District, Hobbs — who is of Japanese descent and became the first person of color to hold the office of Secretary of State when he was appointed — has clearly been up to the task. Known as a moderate in the state legislature, in many ways his selection by Inslee felt political at the time, but Hobbs’ performance has rendered such concerns moot. In particular, Hobbs’ military background has been a strength. He’s a lieutenant colonel in the Washington Army National Guard and has tours in Kosovo and Iraq under his belt.

“[Hobbs] told the TNT Editorial Board that, among other things, he’s put an emphasis on improving voter outreach, responding to cybersecurity threats and countering misinformation. It was clear the state’s elections are in competent hands.”

In 2023, Dayton Memorial Library in Columbia County was on the verge of becoming the first library in the nation to dissolve due to aggravated community members calling books authored by LGBTQ + individuals “obscene” and “upsetting.”

For many residents across the state, local libraries serve as places of learning, after-school hangouts, community meetings, a resource for free technology access or shelter from the weather. But as treasured as these cornerstones of Washington communities might be, some of the residents who rely most upon them found that they were virtually powerless when a handful of activists made a political attack on the library’s very existence.

Under a law that had not been updated in more than 40 years, not every library patron could have a say if their library remains open, even if their taxes fund the library. If an aggrieved constituent could collect 100 taxpayer signatures — or 10% of jurisdiction voters — on a petition, they could create a ballot measure to dissolve that library, and only voters who reside in incorporated areas of the jurisdiction could participate. Senate Bill 2854 increases the petitioning threshold to 25% of eligible taxpayers in the district and expands voting eligibility to include all qualified library district residents.

Washington’s 60 public library systems have at least 349 branches, including Dayton Library, and 24 bookmobiles providing free collections, Wi-Fi, and programs to every county in the state. In 2022, the state’s public libraries received more than 17 million visits. Patrons checked out materials more than 73 million times and attended more than 37,000 library programs. They used nearly 6,000 free public computers more than 2 million times and free public Wi-Fi more than 8 million times.

I am proud that SB 5824 will protect libraries as critical resources for their communities. Furthermore, election laws should serve every eligible community member equally so each voice can be heard.

“Protecting the integrity of our elections is a foundational responsibility of our government. The freedom to exercise the democratic franchise and trust that votes will be counted fairly is a defining aspect of American life. However, incidents in multiple Washington elections offices have imperiled these freedoms. Our elected leaders must respond to the ongoing dangers.

“Elections staff in Washington and across the country were targeted repeatedly in 2023, most prominently during the November general election when white powder was mailed to offices across the nation, including King, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, and Spokane counties….”

“These incidents illustrate the need to take seriously the threats that elections workers face in administering Washington’s democratic process. No one should leave their home for work in the morning for a job sustaining our democracy and have to fear for their health.

“This is terrorism, and it must be stopped. Where do the threats end? In Washington state, a class C felony is punishable by up to five years in jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000. Such serious punishment matches the severity of the offense…”

“Nearly 7,500 people each year, on average, return to their communities after serving state prison sentences in Washington, according to Department of Corrections data for the last decade. Many of them face numerous challenges as they re-enter society, including establishing financial stability, reliable housing and transportation, and access to community resources, such as their local public library…

“Recently released inmates, however, are often reluctant to enter a library out of concern they might have to disclose their past when applying for a library card, especially if a Department of Corrections card is the only form of identification they possess.

“At the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, we believe it is critical to help people who have paid their debts to society make a seamless transition to freedom. We must deliver practical solutions to break down those barriers and enable people to live more fulfilling lives.”

Libraries connect readers to information, ideas, learning, knowledge and development. At the Office of the Secretary of State, we help ensure people have unfettered access to information at hundreds of public, school, academic, and institutional libraries across Washington. This commitment is rooted in the fundamental principle that an educated and informed citizenry is critical to a free society.

But in today’s increasingly polarized political climate, an alarming trend to ban books from schools and community libraries has become a detrimental force in American society…

Authorities on the Constitutional right to free speech consider book banning perhaps the most widespread form of censorship in the United States. At Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State, we believe book banning is censorship. People should decide for themselves what to read based on their interests, sensibilities and values. No one – apart from parents for their children – should have the right to suppress what other people read or to make those decisions for others. Book banning infringes on everyone’s intellectual rights and threatens the core of our freedoms.

By Secretary of State Steve Hobbs

…Today, “dis-informants” and other bad actors are targeting election security and the cybersecurity systems — such as the “Albert sensor” — that help protect the legitimacy and integrity of our elections. If you’ve never heard of the Albert sensor, don’t worry. Unless you are a cyber technician, you are most likely unfamiliar with it…

This year, dis-informants in several Washington counties took aim at the Albert sensor. They claimed that CIS has deep connections to Democratic operatives and is positioned to enable alteration of election results. These false claims misrepresent the nonpartisan duty CIS performs in helping watch for outside manipulation of American elections.

This off-base conjecture triggered conspiracy theorists to fantasize that the Albert sensor compromises security by prying into our election systems and data to change our votes and, ultimately, the outcomes of our elections. No such thing happens, or could happen, with this equipment or any other technology Washington counties use to ensure election integrity.

By Spokane County Auditor Vikki Dalton and Secretary of State Steve Hobbs

Your secretary of state and Washington’s 39 county auditors work together to maintain the integrity of our elections, advance election security, and offer inclusive education and registration programs that expand electoral participation to every eligible voter.

Groups like the Voter Research Project have called that commitment into question. Clipboards in hand, they knock on doors to ask residents about their voter registration status. They even casually refer to themselves as detectives, a disingenuous claim that undermines voter confidence in the elections process…

By State Auditor Pat McCarthy, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and National Vote at Home Institute Executive Director Lori Augino

As disinformation about the 2020 election and the security of vote-at-home elections persists, instilling public confidence is critical. Washington voters have every reason to be confident in their election system, and every reason to continue to improve it.

Washington is one of only eight states that automatically sends a ballot to their voters for every election, it routinely boasts some of the nation’s highest turnout, and it was the only state in 2020 to receive a perfect score from Brookings Institute for its preparedness for voting during a pandemic…

By Secretary of State Steve Hobbs

Washington state leads the nation in making voting accessible to eligible voters. But we must do more.

Our proven mail-in ballot process affords widespread access to eligible voters with best-in-class security. The system was introduced in Washington in 1983 for special elections. By 1991, any eligible voter could apply for an absentee ballot. By 2005, counties could opt to conduct elections entirely by mail and more than two-thirds switched to mail-in voting. Then, in 2011, the state fully adopted voting by mail in all 39 counties…