As part of her College Civics tour,recently elected Washington Secretaryof State Kim Wyman visitedSFCC on May 6.
The tour’s goal is to encourage young voting-age adults to participate not only in campus and community activities, but elections both local and national. SFCC was Wyman’s third stop on her tour, which includes visits to other two and four year colleges across the state on May 6, 7, and 8.
Wyman met with current ASG staff as well as the candidates in the current Associated Student Government (ASG) election. Alicia Villa, current Associated Student Clubs Representative and a candidate for ASG President told Wyman the ASG’s future efforts.
“We came up with…issues we want to lobby for: common security standards statewide, protected funding for education, and increasing funding for undocumented students,” Villa said.
“We’re giving out pins and candy bars to students that vote,” Destiny Wallace, candidate for Activities President said.
Also present was Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton. After a round of introductions, Wyman gave a short explanation of her office.
“I kind of am in a similar (position) to the county auditor, but on the state level. Our office does four things, the most high profile one is elections,” Wyman said. “The county does outreach, registration, tallies votes at the county level and we oversee the state database so all that the county does rests in the state office.
“I certify the elections, and all of the statewide referendums, so if you sign a petition, we check the signatures and make sure they’re registered voters.”
Dalton added that the Secretary of State has all of the same duties as a county auditor at the state level, including duties such as handling the Washington State Library and the digital archives, as well as creating state law.
“They create the regulations all of us operate under,” Dalton said. “(County auditors) actually have a good relationship with the Secretary of State’s office here, which is not the case in other places.”
Wyman said that personal politics could interfere with the job, citing laws that could be construed as a form of discrimination such as requiring identification to be shown before voting.
“Even though we run as partisan, the last few secretaries conducted business in a very nonpartisan way. That’s one of the things I’m going to be very cognizant of and I want to continue keeping things independent,” Wyman said. “I realize I have a responsibility.”
Wyman said she would not have been able to be in the position she now holds today if it had not been for public state colleges.
“What’s important to me is that (college students) are going to be able to get a job; I care about school funding. I am a product of state schools, and I consider it investing in the future. It pains me to see what you all are paying for tuition.” Wyman said.
According to the Office of the Secretary of State’s website, Wyman is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Troy State University in Alabama.
“I am the first of my family to graduate from college … I would not be where I am now without that, and I think the republican party needs to start talking about these things,” Wyman said.