In the midst of the angry world of politics, which seems uglier by the day, we should all be grateful that Washington’s elections are trustworthy, accurate, and run by Secretary of State Kim Wyman. She is a leader who has kept Washington’s edge in voter registration, turnout, and ballot security.

Washington is consistently ranked at or near the top of the nation in voter turnout, number of voters registered, and election innovations. 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 integrity of elections. Secretary Wyman led us to these accomplishments.

Unfortunately, Secretary Wyman’s opponent has not shown such concern for our elections. Her partisan and misleading attacks betray her lack of understanding of the office and her inexperience. Her call to unlawfully cancel our May Presidential Primary after voting had already begun would have suppressed the voices of over 1.4 million voters. We cannot afford to hand this office off to a hyper-partisan and grossly unqualified politician.

It is clear that Secretary Wyman is the best person for this job. The vast majority of current county election directors and county auditors have endorsed her, including nonpartisan elections leaders like King County Elections Director Julie Wise, Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, and Snohomish County Auditor Carolyn Weikel.

Democrat, Republican, and non-partisan officials all endorse Kim Wyman because she is the only candidate in the race with the qualifications and commitment to run our elections in a non-partisan and trustworthy manner.

It is essential for all election administrators to be committed to the ideal of impartial and non-partisan administration of elections. We urge all voters to re-elect Secretary of State Kim Wyman, and keep Washington a national leader in voting.

Sam Reed, Ralph Munro, and Bruce Chapman, former Washington Secretaries of State