Secretary of State Sam Reed has earned re-election
Washington's elections are more secure and voter friendly under Reed's watch.
By the Union-Bulletin Editorial Board
Secretary of State Sam Reed has done an outstanding job for the past eight years. He has earned another term.
Reed, a Republican, continues to run his office in an independent and nonpartisan way like his predecessor Ralph Munro.
Reed is being challenged by Democrat Jason Osgood, software developer for a medical records company. Osgood may have good intentions, but there is simply no reason to replace the incumbent.
Reed has been a staunch advocate on behalf of the state's voters. Reed has taken on the political parties -- including his own -- to ensure that voters can vote in primaries without selecting party ballots.
In addition, Reed has shown strong leadership in reforming the election system in an effort to reduce fraud and other problems. In the wake of the flawed gubernatorial election of 2004, Reed worked with the Legislature to implement reforms and safeguards. Citizens must now show identification when registering to vote and when voting at the polls.
Two years ago Reed's office launched a statewide registration system to replace the piecemeal system in which the information was kept only by the counties. In just two years, more than 400,000 improper voter registrations have been removed from Washington's voter rolls including duplicates, deceased voters and felons.
Washington's elections are more secure and voter-friendly under Reed's watch.
He has also taken extraordinary steps to preserve the state's history.
Reed successfully lobbied the Legislature to secure funds for the Washington State Heritage Center, which he envisions as a place where all can experience the past, back to the days when Washington was a territory.
Five years earlier Reed fought the proposed closure of the Washington State Library, which was threatened because of a lack of funding. Reed agreed to take on the library as part of his office. It had been run as an agency under the governor's control.
The State Library, which has been open since 1853, is home to historical treasures such as journals from the Lewis and Clark expedition.
It also contains more mundane -- but nevertheless important -- material such as a record of every bill introduced in the state Legislature.
Reed also opened the nation's first state government digital archives to permanently preserve the electronic records of government.
We recommend voters elect Reed to a third term.