Washington Office of the Secretary of State honored with National Clearinghouse Awards

OLYMPIA — The Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) was recognized for excellence in election administration with national Clearinghouse Awards in two categories.

Also known as the “Clearies,” the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) presents the awards program annually to celebrate the hard work of election offices across the country. 

Now in its ninth year, these Clearie Awards honored programs that took place during the 2024 presidential election year.

OSOS received an award in the Accessibility category for its collaboration with advocates who work on disability access and TVW.org to produce an American Sign Language (ASL) Video Voters’ Guide. This is the first year ASL has been included in the guide, which provides videos of candidate statements and ballot measure information to voters each year.

The office earned a second Clearie in the Communications category for its “Mark the Ballot” public education campaign. “Mark the Ballot” provided trusted elections information to Washingtonians by connecting election security messaging with communities across the state, bolstering voter confidence. 

According to post-campaign survey results, the campaign had a measurable impact on public confidence in Washington state government and election officials.

In addition to these awards, OSOS earned an honorable mention in the Contingency Planning category for its Government Operations and Key Infrastructure Toolkits (GO-KITs). The GO-KIT is a cybersecurity solution designed to restore critical election functions during a cyber incident.

"Election workers in Washington have worked tirelessly to make voter education and outreach more accessible and engaging for our voters,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said.

“These projects and partnerships demonstrate the impact and value of their hard work. We will continue finding ways to keep our elections safe, secure, and accessible for all Washingtonians.”

County elections offices were also awarded Clearies and honorable mentions. Thurston County won an award in the Communications category and an honorable mention for Accessibility. Pierce County won an award in the Security category with an honorable mention for Communications. King County was also given an honorable mention in the HAVA Grants: Outstanding Use of HAVA Grants in Elections Modernization category.

The Clearies play an essential role in fulfilling the EAC’s mission to serve as a clearinghouse for election administration information under the Help America Vote Act. 

The EAC is an independent, bipartisan federal agency solely focused on election administration. Submissions were judged on innovation, sustainability, outreach, cost-effectiveness, replicability, and the generation of positive results.

More information on the Clearies and each awardee is available on eac.gov.