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Secretary of State candidates Jim Kastama (D-Puyallup) and Kim Wyman (R-Olympia) faced off last night in Vancouver at a forum hosted by the Freedom Foundation and COUV.COM.

The event was moderated by radio talk show host Victoria Taft of KPAM AM 860 radio.

The candidates were asked a range of questions about voter registration and election security, and they differed in two significant ways.

 

First, Kastama indicated he is in favor of allowing 16 and 17 year olds to register to vote, while Wyman isn’t in favor of that policy. Kastama did make a clarification that he was for registration only, and was not in favor of this age group being allowed to vote.

Secondly, Kastama is in favor of allowing people to register up to and on election day. Wyman does not favor this policy either.

There are two other candidates who have registered their campaigns with the Public Disclosure Commission. The Freedom Foundation extended invitations to all the candidates and encouraged their participation in the forum. Zack Hudgins (D-Seattle) had previously accepted the invitation, but dropped out of the race two weeks prior to the Vancouver debate.

The Freedom Foundation has a mission to advance through education, and believes that government works best when the electorate is educated, equipped and active.

The Freedom Foundation will host two more candidate forums this year:

April 26 – State Auditor candidates, Spokane
May 24 – Secretary of State and State Auditor candidates, Bellevue

The Freedom Foundation does not endorse or oppose any candidate.