Author: K. Hosh

Voter Education Fund Invests Nearly $1 Million in Diverse Communities

K. Hosh

King County Elections and Seattle Foundation are excited to announce the recipients of our next Voter Education Fund! A total of 39 community-based organizations are being funded $950,000 to provide nonpartisan voter outreach in historically underrepresented communities.

Instead of funding organizations on an annual basis, this cycle will award two-year grants. We want to ensure organizations have the resources they need to do significant voter engagement in what promises to be an exciting local election year and through the 2020 election.

Organizations are being funded at two levels: up to $40,000 to develop a two-year campaign to engage voters or potential voters, or up to $15,000 to provide a series of smaller activities through 2019 and 2020.

Grantees serve a wide array of communities, including communities of color, limited-English speaking residents, low-income youth, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and people who have been convicted of a felony. This cycle places an increased emphasis on voter outreach to people with disabilities, African American and Native American voters, and historically marginalized residents in South King County.

Organizations receiving funding will attend an orientation and training workshop at King County Elections during the week of June 3, 2019.

The full list of 2019 grantees is:

  • 21 Progress
  • APACEvotes
  • Asian Counseling and Referral Service
  • Being Empowered Thru Supportive Transitions
  • Byrd Barr Place
  • Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees and Communities of Color (CIRCC)
  • Disability Rights Washington
  • El Centro de la Raza
  • Entre Hermanos
  • Eritrean Association in Greater Seattle
  • Hearing, Speech & Deaf Center
  • India Association of Western Washington
  • Indigenous Showcase
  • Ingersoll Gender Center
  • Institute for Community Leadership
  • InterIm CDA
  • International Community Health Services
  • Kent Black Action Commission (KBAC)
  • Korean American Coalition—WA
  • Latino Community Fund
  • Living Well Kent
  • Mother Africa
  • Mujer al Volante
  • Muslim Community & Neighborhood Association
  • Na’ah Illahee Fund
  • NAMI Eastside
  • Para Los Niños
  • Progress Pushers
  • Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA)
  • Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness
  • SOAR
  • Tenants Union of Washington State
  • The Vera Project
  • The Washington Bus Education Fund
  • URBVOTE
  • U.T.O.P.I.A. Seattle
  • Villa Comunitaria
  • Washington Community Action Network Education & Research Fund
  • West Hill Community Association

Running for Office: Candidate Filing Fee

K. Hosh

Thinking about running for office? We’re expecting more than 700 people to file for office during candidate filing week, May 13 – 17. If you’re planning to run now or in the future, remember that you’ll need to pay a filing fee. This fee is equal to 1% of the office’s annual salary at the time of filing. You can view the filing fees for all 337 positions up for election on our website. Unfortunately, filing fees are not refundable. So if a candidate withdraws, they don’t get their money back. And if they withdraw and re-file for a different position, they’ll be required to pay a second filing fee for the new position.

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Applications now open for 2019-2020 Voter Education Fund

K. Hosh

We’re now accepting applications for the 2019-2020 Voter Education Fund! King County Elections and Seattle Foundation are awarding $950,000 in grants to increase voter engagement in underserved communities over the next two years.

VEF3
2018 Voter Education Fund partners.

 

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Here’s how to Run for Office in King County

K. Hosh
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Running for office can be a daunting, even intimidating process. There are so many questions a first-time candidate has to think about: What’s a filing fee? How long can I have campaign signs up? What are the public disclosure requirements? Fortunately, we make it easy to run for office in King County. First, everything you need to know is on our Running for Office page online. Second, you can actually file your candidacy online and avoid a trip to our office.

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February 2019 Special Election: Frequently asked questions and answers

K. Hosh

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How do I replace my ballot or ballot envelope?

Visit our website to get a replacement ballot or envelope.

How do I find a ballot drop box?

Visit our website to find a drop box near you.

Do I need a stamp to return my ballot?

No, you no longer need a stamp to mail your ballot in King County. Continue reading →

General Election 2018: Statewide ballot measures

K. Hosh

The November midterm election had record voter turnout in King County with 76 percent of registered voters casting a ballot. While there were many factors that drove turnout,  voters were also motivated by the four statewide measures on this year’s ballot. Millions of dollars poured into the campaigns for and against measures that would govern pollution, taxes on groceries (mainly sugary drinks), gun ownership, and police training concerning the use of deadly force. Voters were inundated with television commercials, digital ads, and mailers urging them to either approve or reject a given measure.

Statewide, voters approved all of the measures except for Initiative Measure No. 1631 concerning a fee on carbon emissions. Initiative No. 1634, which prohibits a tax on essential groceries, was the only measure rejected by King County voters. Let’s take a look at how the County’s six most-populated cities voted on each measure. Continue reading →

How social media is used to reach young voters

K. Hosh

The year was 2000 and it was the first time I was eligible to vote in a presidential election. Since I lived on a college campus four hours away from home, I requested and filled out an absentee ballot. But then I procrastinated and forgot to mail it in. Oops! I remember one particular friend being appalled. We live in a swing state, he lamented. How could you forget to mail your ballot?

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General Election 2018: Ballot drop boxes with the most returns

K. Hosh2 Comments

Ballot drop boxes continue to be a convenient option for King County voters. About 390,000 ballots were returned through drop boxes during the 2018 General Election. The Ballard Branch Library location was the most popular, with 19,034 ballots returned there.

Top Ten Returns

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Meet our translators: KC Jung

K. Hosh1 Comment

We’re highlighting the great work our translators do helping to make our elections and services accessible to every member of the community. Here we sit down for a brief Q&A with KC Jung, our Korean language translator.

KCWhat is your background and what brought you to working in local government at King County?

I am originally from Seoul, South Korea. I first came to the U.S. to study English and decided to adopt this country as my new homeland because of the diverse background of people and places. After completing my education, I started my career in local government at the City of Federal Way. As the Korean Community Liaison, I helped bridge the gap between Korean residents and the city. I was able to create and engage in many programs that benefited residents. After years of working for the city, I was ready for a bigger role, so I joined the U.S. Department of Commerce where I was able to expand my community engagement on a larger scale. In this role, I was able to not only engage with the Korean community, but also with other minority communities all over Washington State.

In my off time, I volunteer at the Puyallup School District. Once my kids were enrolled in middle and high school, I needed to dedicate more time to them. That’s when I decided to look for a local government job that continued my commitment to serve the community, which led me to King County Elections. Continue reading →

Meet our translators: Nhien Huynh

K. Hosh

We’re highlighting the great work our translators do helping to make our elections and services accessible to every member of the community. Here we sit down for a brief Q&A with Nhien Huynh, our Vietnamese language translator.

NhienWhat is your background and what brought you to working in local government at King County?
I was the Student Government Community Service Chair at South Seattle College. That experience taught me the importance of being involved and making a difference in the community. For that reason, I was attracted to working in local government. Additionally, King County was a good fit for me, because we share many of the same values, particularly those related to diversity and inclusion.

Why did you choose to work in Language Services for King County Elections?
I was excited for the opportunity to be involved in the democratic process, to engage with the community, and to be a linguistic and cultural bridge to Vietnamese residents of King County. Also, my dad is a translator, so I suppose it’s in my genes.  Continue reading →