The Latest: Voters reject voucher system

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Latest on elections in Washington state (all times local):

4:15 p.m.

Washington voters have rejected a measure that creates a publicly funded voucher system for political contributions.

Initiative 1464’s voucher system would have given voters three $50 “democracy credits” that they can use in state races every two years. To pay for the statewide system, the measure would’ve repealed the non-resident sales tax exemption for residents of sales-tax-free states like Oregon and Montana who shop in Washington. To be eligible to redeem the vouchers, participating political candidates would have to have pledged to limit self-financing, as well as the size of donations they accept.

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3:55 p.m.

Democrat Tina Podlodowski has conceded in the race for secretary of state, and in an email congratulated Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman “on a hard fought campaign.”

Wyman defeated Podlodowski, a former Microsoft manager, with about 54 per cent of the vote.

Podlodowski called on her supporters to continue to work for issues she advocated for during her campaign: passage of the state Voting Rights Act, funding in the state budget to make mailed ballots postage free and requiring an outside audit of the state’s election system.

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12:27 p.m.

In an emailed statement, Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman wrote that her re-election was a “huge victory.”

Wyman defeated Democrat Tina Podlodowski, a former Microsoft manager, with about 54 per cent of the vote.

“In the face of the most money ever spent on a Washington Secretary of State race, and in the crosshairs of one of the most negative campaigns ever run for this office, we held firm,” she wrote. “We proved that running a positive, issues-driven campaign still works. We proved that integrity and fairness do matter in our elections.”

Tina Podlodowski raised more than $900,000 in her bid to oust Wyman, and spent more than half of that on negative TV ads. Wyman raised more than $855,000 in her race.

8:35 a.m.

Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman has been re-elected to a second term.

Wyman previously served as the Thurston County auditor and the county’s elections director. She defeated Democrat Tina Podlodowski, a former Microsoft manager, served on the Seattle City Council for one four-year term in the 1990s and was an adviser to current Seattle Mayor Ed Murray in 2014.

Wyman narrowly won her election four years ago and voting in August’s “top two” primary was tight, with Wyman getting 48 per cent of the vote and Podlodowski receiving 46 per cent.

Podlodowski attacked Wyman on issues ranging from low primary voter turnout to a translation mistake in the Spanish version of the voters guide that could have led some who were convicted of misdemeanour crimes to think they were not qualified to vote. Wyman apologized for the error and sent out mailers to voters who were potentially affected.