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State Senator Hosting Telephone Town Hall Next Week

Submitted by Nicole Hensley, Web Producer
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012, 6:22pm

State Senator Mike Padden (R) is hosting a telephone town hall meeting next week on Wednesday, February 15th. It’s a community forum that people can either listen to or participate from home. On the agenda for discussion is the state budget.

It takes place from 7-8 p.m. You can call 1-877-229-8493 and enter the code 19371 to enter the conference call.

Padden represents the 4th Legislative District which covers the Spokane Valley area including Liberty Lake, Millwood, Peone Prairie, Mead, Colbert, Chattaroy and Elk.

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In-person voter registration ends today for February election

Submitted by Nicole Hensley, Web Producer
Monday, February 6th, 2012, 12:45pm

New to Washington State? Today is the last day to register to vote in-person at your county’s election office. If you register today, you can vote in the February 14th special election. 

You can find your election office’s hours at the Secretary of State’s website. Find your county, find the hours, register and then get ready to vote.

If you miss the deadline, you can register anyway to get ready for the general election. You can register online. 

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2012 Kids' Art Contest

Submitted by Kristy Mylroie, Spokane Public Schools Blogger
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012, 5:10pm
2012 Kids' Art Contest

It's time for the kids to sharpen their colored pencils. The 2012 Kids' Art Contest is underway. The winner of this competition will have their work displayed on 3.5 million voter pamphlets sent to people across the State.

The Office of Secretary of State is hosting the contest asking 4th and 5th graders to enter their best work. "If I Could Vote" is the theme for this year. The State says the contest is a chance for Washington's youngest citizens to get involved with the elections process.

The winner's work will be featured on Washington State Voter's Pamphlets and will receive a surprise visit from Secretary of State Sam Reed at school.

Students can enter their work here. Good luck! Artists have until April 16th to submit their entries.

 

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Good idea? Connecting politicians with citizens on Google Hangouts

Submitted by Nicole Hensley, Web Producer
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012, 3:55pm

Here’s an idea - Google Hangouts with citizens and local politicians. It’s another way to talk face to face over great distances. Some selected Google+ users had the rare opportunity to ask questions to President Barack Obama in a video chat on Monday. Reuters' Anthony De Rosa explains: 

He answered questions about the economy, job creation, small business, and the use of drones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama referenced a New York Times story on the use of drones, which he called “overwritten,” and said that the use of drones had not resulted in an unusual number of civilian casualties. Asked about the anti-piracy legislation that set the Internet on fire, Obama said, ”When SOPA came up on the hill, we expressed some concerns about the way the legislation had been written.”

Share: It’s one way to answer the questions of millions of citizens. Locally, would you like to see this happen with state and city officials?

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Local State Senator Opposes Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Submitted by Annie Bishop on Wednesday, January 11th, 7:09 pm
Local State Senator Opposes Same-Sex Marriage Bill

It's the first week of the 2012 legislative session in Olympia and lawmakers are already going head to head about a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage.  Last week, Governor Christine Gregoire announced she plans to propose a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington.

If passed, Washington would be the seventh state to recognize same-sex marriage.  However, some lawmakers argue marriage should remain between a man and a woman. Senator Mike Padden (R-Spokane Valley) issued a news release today opposing the bill.

“I do not support changing the traditional definition of marriage," wrote Senator Padden.

"I will oppose any bill that attempts to redefine marriage as anything other than its historic definition as a union of one man and one woman," explaining further. "Marriage has always been understood as a comprehensive relationship between a man and woman, as husband and wife, grounded in their complementary nature and their ability to naturally conceive and give birth to children, as father and mother.

“The state has always recognized the special nature of that relationship and its benefits for society as a whole."

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County Auditor Describes Under Votes in November's Election

Submitted by Nicole Hensley, Web Producer
Thursday, December 1st, 2011, 4:41pm
County Auditor Describes Under Votes in November's Election

Have you ever left a ballot oval blank? When it goes through the Spokane County Elections office, it’s marked in their machines as an under vote. Most of the major races in Spokane County had over a thousand under votes.

1. 4th Legislative District

Under Votes: 7,900 out of 46,548 votes - 16.97%

2. Council District 2

Under Votes: 3,502 out of 24,960 votes - 14.03%

3. Council District 3

Under Votes: 2,494 out of 23,303 votes - 10.70%

4. Council District 1

Under Votes: 1,521 out of 14,358 votes - 10.59%

5. Council President

Under Votes: 4,579 out of 62,621 votes - 7:31%

6. Proposition 1

Under Votes: 3,907 out of 62,621 votes - 6.24%

7. Mayor

Under Votes: 1,340 out of 62,6212 votes - 2.14%

The percentages are listed from the highest amount of under votes to the least.

The State Senate race between Mike Padden and Jeff Baxter ranks at the top. The Spokane City Council race between Mike Allen and Richard Rush comes in at second place. Both races are going through recounts.

Spokane County auditor, Vicki Dalton, described her explanation for the under votes.

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