Kim Wyman

Kim Wyman

Republican Party

Prior offices

Thurston County auditor

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Washington Secretary of State

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Report an officeholder change

Education

Bachelor's

California State University, Long Beach

Graduate

Troy State University

Contact

Campaign Twitter

Personal Instagram

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Kim Wyman (Republican Party) was the Washington Secretary of State. She assumed office on January 16, 2013. She resigned on November 19, 2021, to become security lead of the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in President Joe Biden’s (D) administration.

Wyman was the second woman to serve as secretary of state in Washington. Prior to her election, she served as Thurston County auditor for 12 years. She was the only Republican to win statewide office in 2012.

Biography

Email [email protected] to notify us of updates to this biography.

Wyman served as elections manager in Thurston County for eight years. In January 2001, she was appointed Thurston County auditor. Wyman went on to serve until 2012, a total of four terms. She was certified as an elections/registration administrator (CERA) for Washington state. Wyman has served as the treasurer for the National Association of Secretaries of State. She has also held the position of president of the Washington State Association of County Auditors.

Education

• Bachelor's degree, California State University, Long Beach
• Master's in public administration, Troy State University, European Division
• Honorary doctorate in leadership, City University, Seattle (2015)

Political career

Washington Secretary of State (2013 - 2021)

Wyman officially succeeded Sam Reed as secretary of state on January 16, 2013. She won re-election on in 2016 and 2020. She served until November 19, 2021, when she resigned to become security lead of the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in President Joe Biden’s (D) administration.

June 2017 request for voter rolls

See also: State government responses to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity

On June 29, 2017, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, which had been created by President Donald Trump on May 11, requested information on registered voters from all 50 states dating back to 2006. The states were given until July 14 to respond. Secretary Wyman announced that the state would provide only publicly available information to the commission.

“	The federal Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity has requested that Washington State comply with a series of requests for information. As with any request for public records, we are required to comply pursuant to state law regardless of who is making the request. However, as we've only just received the letter from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, it will take some time to review and thoughtfully consider the other requests made of us. Next week I'll be attending the National Association of Secretaries of State’s summer meeting and will have the opportunity for a rigorous discussion about these matters. I look forward to hearing from my colleagues and will be in a better position at that time to consider the commission's additional requests.	”
—Secretary Kim Wyman

Thurston County Auditor (2001-2012)

Wyman served as Thurston County Auditor from 2001 to 2012.

Elections

2020

See also: Washington Secretary of State election, 2020

General election

General election for Washington Secretary of State

Incumbent Kim Wyman defeated Gael Tarleton in the general election for Washington Secretary of State on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim Wyman (R)	53.6	2,116,141
		Gael Tarleton (D)	46.3	1,826,710
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	4,666

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,947,517
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Washington Secretary of State

Incumbent Kim Wyman and Gael Tarleton defeated Ed Minger and Gentry Lange in the primary for Washington Secretary of State on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kim Wyman (R)	50.9	1,238,455
✔		Gael Tarleton (D)	43.3	1,053,584
		Ed Minger (Independent)	3.6	87,982
		Gentry Lange (Progressive Party of Washington State)	2.1	51,826
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,919

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,433,766
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate profile

Kim Wyman

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

• Washington Secretary of State (Assumed office: 2013)
• Thurston County auditor (2001-2013)

Biography:  Wyman received a B.A. from California State University, an M.P.A. from Troy State University, and an Honorary Doctorate in leadership from City University. She served as elections manager in Thurston County for eight years before serving as county auditor. Wyman was certified as an elections/registration administrator (CERA) for Washington state. She served as treasurer for the National Association of Secretaries of State and president of the Washington State Association of County Auditors.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Wyman said she was the only candidate in the race with elections experience. She emphasized that she had 27 years of elections experience.

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Wyman said she had led elections in a nonpartisan manner and that she had endorsements from Democratic, Republican, and independent county auditors and election directors.

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Wyman said she had balanced election accessibility and security. She said she increased access to same-day registration along with security measures, helped protect elections from foreign and cyber threats, and helped adapt elections to the pandemic.

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Show sources

Sources: Kim Wyman's 2020 campaign website, "Home," accessed October 13, 2020; Vimeo, "Re-elect Kim Wyman," accessed October 13, 2020; Kim Wyman's 2020 campaign website, "Biography," accessed October 13, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Washington Secretary of State in 2020.

2016

Main article: Washington Secretary of State election, 2016

Wyman filed to run for re-election in the 2016 election for Washington secretary of state. She competed with Democrat Tina Podlodowski and Libertarian Tim Turner in the August 2 top-two primary, in which the top-two vote recipients advanced to the November general election. Wyman and Podlodowki placed first and second, respectively, in the primary election and competed in November. Wyman won the general election on November 8, 2016.

Results

General election

Incumbent Kim Wyman defeated Tina Podlodowski in the Washington secretary of state election.

Washington Secretary of State, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Kim Wyman Incumbent	54.74%	1,713,004
	Democratic	Tina Podlodowski	45.26%	1,416,299
Total Votes				3,129,303
Source: Washington Secretary of State

Primary election

Incumbent Kim Wyman and Tina Podlodowski defeated Tim Turner in the Washington primary for secretary of state.

Washington primary for secretary of state, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Kim Wyman Incumbent	47.90%	645,614
	Democratic	Tina Podlodowski	46.13%	621,732
	Libertarian	Tim Turner	5.98%	80,570
Total Votes				1,347,916
Source: Washington Secretary of State

Campaign finance

Kim Wyman Campaign Finance Reports
Report	Date Filed	Beginning Balance	Total Contributions for Reporting Period	Expenditures	Cash on Hand
To date	As of November 4, 2016	$	$762,296.92	$(741,039.73)	$
			Running totals
			$762,296.92	$(741,039.73)

2012

See also: Washington secretary of state election, 2012

Wyman ran successfully as a Republican candidate in the 2012 race for Secretary of State. She faced 6 others in the August 7 primary race, in which she received the highest number of votes among the candidates, earning one of two available slots on the general election ballot. The other slot went to second place finisher, Democrat Kathleen Drew, against whom Wyman squared off in the general election on November 6, 2012. The tight race was called for Wyman on November 10 after Drew conceded defeat. Of nine state executive elections, Wyman was the only Republican winner of 2012.

Washington Secretary of State General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Kim Wyman	50.4%	1,464,741
	Democratic	Kathleen Drew	49.6%	1,442,868
Total Votes				2,907,609
Election results via Washington Secretary of State

Washington Secretary of State, Primary, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Kim Wyman	39.8%	528,754
	Democratic	Kathleen Drew	21.7%	289,052
	Democratic	Greg Nickels	15.9%	210,832
	Democratic	Jim Kastama	13.9%	185,425
	Constitution Party	Karen Murray	3.8%	50,888
	No Party Preference	David Anderson	3.3%	44,276
	Human Rights Party	Sam Wright	1.6%	20,809
Total Votes				1,330,036
Election results via Washington Secretary of State (dead link)'

Wyman ran on 20 years of auditing experience, including a stint auditing under outgoing secretary Sam Reed, and on her experience overseeing elections.

Issues

• Voter ID

Wyman said she would support any legislation to increase voter-ID requirements.

• Modernization

Wyman said she wanted to use the secretary's office to modernize voter registration "with an aim to make it more automated and strike a balance between security and access."

• Initiative Process

Wyman expressed support for the existing initiative process and confidence in voters to be aware of funding sources.

Endorsements

Wyman was endorsed by outgoing Secretary of State Sam Reed (R), and two of his predecessors, Ralph Munro and Bruce Chapman, as well as the Washington Education Association.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kim Wyman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Wyman’s campaign website stated the following:

“	My Job as Your Secretary of State When you think of the Secretary of State’s Office, elections usually come to mind. Elections are no doubt a critical part of the job and one of my areas of expertise as former Thurston County Auditor and Elections Manager as well as a state and nationally certified elections administrator. But the Secretary of State’s Office does so much more. For example, I oversee the State Corporations and Charities Division, the Washington State Library, Washington Talking Book and Braille Library and State Archives. These divisions provide important services and opportunities to Washington residents across our state. I also lead special programs, including: the Address Confidentiality Program, which protects survivors of domestic violence and stalking; the Combined Fund Drive, which includes charitable giving by public employees; and Legacy Washington, which includes history programs and special exhibits that tell our state’s stories. I encourage you to learn more about these programs. In all, I lead more than 250 public employees in the Secretary of State’s Office. We are dedicated to strengthening the integrity of our elections, promoting civic engagement and connecting people with state government. Accomplishments Washington state ranks among the top states for election security, voter registration and turnout, elections innovation, and voter outreach and information. I am proud to have worked in elections for the past 30 years, overseeing well over 100 elections at the county and state level. We lead the nation in innovations like accessible voter information and ballot applications that work with e-readers which enable voters with special needs to vote secretly and independently. We have improved service delivery, like providing election materials in multiple formats—written, audio, and braille, to best meet every voter’s needs—and translated materials into 17 languages, to enable all voters to cast an informed ballot. While we’ve accomplished much in the Secretary of State’s Office, we have more to do. I want to continue to work with all county auditors to make sure our elections departments across the state have the space, equipment, and trained staff to continue to deliver secure elections to all voters; I want to improve the storage and preservation of our state’s history by completing our Library/Archives Building; and I will continue to make all resources in the Secretary of State’s office available to those who need it the most by working with groups and individuals to learn where improvements can be made. This is what Washingtonians expect and deserve. Improving access and security of our state’s elections Partnering with all 39 county election officials, we created an award winning, nationally recognized voter registration and election management system. This provided the centralized security and accessibility we needed not only to conduct the elections, but implement the new same-day and automatic registration, and Future Voter legislation passed in 2019. We have made our elections more secure with the development of the Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) with both county and state partners. This has led to the groundbreaking work we have done in partnership with the Washington State National Guard, FBI, and U.S. Homeland Security cyber departments to train and protect our state and all 39 counties. These operations have protected our elections during the COVID-19 pandemic. We created the first in the country Elections Security Operations Center to protect our elections from foreign and domestic attacks. This center also goes to support and protect all 39 counties through firewall defense and cyber security trainings. We made our state’s presidential primary more meaningful for all voters in our state. For the first time in state history, both political parties used the results of the primary in their nominating processes. The primary date was also March, after years of working with legislators to have the date moved in state law. My office has continued to be a national leader for our work creating and maintaining the Address Confidentiality Program. Through this program, we provide protection to 4,000-5,000 voters who are survivors of domestic violence and stalking. Preserving access to our state’s rich heritage Working with legislators, library stakeholders, and county auditors, we stabilized the funding for the state library. When I was sworn into office in 2013, the future of the state library was in doubt. This stable funding ensures our residents have access to a first-rate research collection and that local libraries can maximize their resources with access to federal LSTA funds and programs. We made our state’s history more accessible by expanding our digital archives collection to over 200 million records. Now the public can access a larger portion of photographs, documents, and publications contained in the state archives—all online. We expanded our public records training to state and local governments to assist them providing public records more effectively. Additionally, we helped preserve local government records by providing grants to many small, local jurisdictions. Reduced the amount of state public records stored on paper by 10% - a full year ahead of schedule, saving tax dollars in storage and search costs. Making it easier to do business in Washington state We made it easier to do business in Washington by streamlining our corporations and charities filing processes. Not only did we reduce the time it takes to register a business with our office, we were able to reduce or eliminate a few fees, saving our customers over $5.5 million each year to put back into our local communities. My office provided employers, employees, and job seekers an opportunity to receive computer skills training at no cost. The Imagine Academy is available through a partnership with the State Library and more than 400 libraries across the state. We administer the Combined Fund Drive, through which state employees can maximize their donations to registered charities. This program has allowed employees to give an average of $5 million annually to charities across Washington. Election Security When it comes to election security, Kim Wyman has demonstrated that she is not only an expert in elections, but in cyber security as well. For the last 20 years, Kim Wyman has made it her mission to secure our elections against unlawful interference from foreign and domestic sources. Under Kim Wyman’s leadership, Washington has led the nation in election security. When faced with attempted foreign hacking in 2016, Kim Wyman went to work creating the first in the country Elections Security Operation Center (ESOC). This Center is dedicated to protecting the state’s elections, as well as all elections offices in all of Washington’s 39 counties as well. Election officials across the state now have firewall protections, cyber monitoring, and security training to help them protect the very foundation of our elections. Kim Wyman has also defended our state by establishing partnerships with the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and our own National Guard. These partnerships give our state’s elections ongoing support and protection from America’s top cyber security experts. Kim helped establish the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC) to support the cybersecurity needs of the national election community. This gives access to all 50 states and the District of Columbia to state-of-the-art cyber defense tools and trainings. Kim has built up the security needed to protect our elections far into the future. This work cannot stop. Foreign and domestic hackers are always looking for ways to attack our elections. They only have to get it right once, where we have to get it right 24/7. Kim is prepared and ready to bring in new technologies with the help of the partnerships she has created with cybersecurity experts. She will also continue to adjust the already robust election security trainings to make sure that all election officials are up to date and ready for new and emerging threats. Protecting Voting Rights When it comes to protecting voting rights, Kim Wyman has ensured that every eligible voter is able to cast a ballot. For nearly 30 years she has been working to make Washington a national leader for accessible and secure elections. Kim believes that every eligible voter should have access to the ballot without barriers. Because of Kim Wyman’s hard work and leadership, we have become the most accessible state in the country for elections. When national politics threatened to delay the United States Postal Service, Kim Wyman stood up for our voting rights and made sure that we would get our ballots on time. She passed an emergency rule that requires all ballots sent out in the 15-day voting window to be sent with a first-class stamp. While Kim has been Secretary of State, we have seen the number of places a voter can return their ballot (drop box or voting center) increase to over 500 across the state. When she was the Thurston County Auditor, she was the first local election official in the state to implement the use of a ballot drop box. Now, 90% of voters live within a three-mile radius of a drop box and 70% of voters live with a one-mile radius of a box. Kim also championed moving to postage-paid return envelopes for Washington voters in 2018, removing a significant barrier to voting in our state. Kim Wyman actively listens to the concerns of communities across Washington. For example, when the indigenous communities in our state told election officials that it was difficult for them to receive their mail-in ballots, Kim Wyman lead a program with county election officials to be able to geo-code non-traditional tribal addresses and send their ballots to the tribal community center – ensuring that tribal communities are able to cast ballots as easily as any other Washingtonian. Under Kim’s leadership, our elections have become some of the most accessible in the country for those with disabilities. In 2017 her office received the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission Clearing House Award for Accessibility for Voters with Disabilities for launching a statewide program that allows voters to independently access their digital ballot with accessible technologies. Kim makes sure her office leads by example when it comes to increasing access to voters with disabilities—always making sure to include the differently abled community when it comes to making election decisions. Even after all these accomplishments, there is more work to be done. Kim wants to continue to lead the state and the country in accessible elections. She will continue the relationships she has built as Secretary of State with diverse communities of all backgrounds to make sure barriers are continuing to be removed from voting. Kim will also continue to stand up for our elections and our voters—sticking to the facts rather than engaging in partisan political posturing.	”
—Kim Wyman’s campaign website (2020)

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Kim Wyman campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2012	Washington Secretary of State	Won	$293,912	N/A**
Grand total			$293,912	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Wyman married her husband, John, in 1988. They have two children, Renee and Jordan.

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Sam Reed (R)	Washington Secretary of State 2013 - 2021	Succeeded by Steve Hobbs (D)