OLYMPIA – Secretary of State Steve Hobbs delivered official notification to the legislature on Jan. 22 that signature verification has been completed and certified for IL26-638, concerning participation in athletics at K-12 schools.
The Office of the Secretary of State is still verifying the signatures on IL26-001 using a state-mandated process of examining a 3% random sample of submitted signatures.
The legislature may approve an initiative or send it to voters. If an initiative is rejected by the legislature, or the legislature takes no action by the end of the legislative session on March 12, the Secretary of State will certify the initiative for the next general election. The legislature may also pass an alternative proposal to accompany an initiative on the ballot.
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program. The Secretary of State oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime and the Civic Engagement Program to increase governmental trust and participation for all Washingtonians.