by Jason Cruz
Northwest Asia Weekly
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs wearing his Captain America tie (screenshot)
A fan of the Marvel Universe, Steve Hobbs attended a recent luncheon of community leaders wearing a Captain America tie. The navy blue tie features subtle polka dots that, on closer inspection, are the signature red, white and blue shields carried by heroes in the Marvel Universe comics and movies. Similar to the role, Hobbes as Secretary of State upholds democracy by protecting the electoral process.
“Underrepresented people need a voice, communities of color need a voice, and I’m the only person at the executive level in this state,” Hobbs explained why he should be Washington’s pick for secretary of state. Hobbes’ mother immigrated to the United States from Japan. After being appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee, Hobbs will become the state’s 16th secretary of state in November 2021, becoming the first Asian-American and person of color to hold the position.
Despite being appointed last year, Hobbs must run for the job again in a statewide special election in November 2022 to complete the final two years of his term as secretary of state.
Hobbs is running against Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, who is running as a nonpartisan candidate. Hobbs is a Democrat.
“I’ve stuck to the same valid message from the start,” Hobbs said of his campaign strategy against independent candidates. “The purpose of this office is to ensure that our elections are transparent, secure and accessible. IMHO, she doesn’t, I have.”
Election security concerns have brought more scrutiny to the secretary of state’s office since the 2020 presidential election. Hobbs said the two main issues facing his office are cyber threats and misinformation.
“Cyber threats are very simple,” Hobbs explained. Threats to election security, voting machines and the vote counting process were attacked.
As Secretary of State, Hobbs has a federal security clearance, which allows him to stay abreast of the latest domestic and foreign cyber threats that could infiltrate our elections.
A second and perhaps bigger problem is malicious misinformation.
“We don’t want to limit First Amendment rights, but when we see something that isn’t true, we resist if misinformation grows too much or is wrong,” Hobbs explained. He gave the example of an overseas agency that would scan the internet for various things in order to induce distrust in the voting system. They will then create a fake website to wreak havoc.
To deal with misinformation, Hobbs preaches social media awareness. Hobbs said it was important for social media users to check the validity of news from reliable sources before accepting the truth and spreading misinformation further by retweeting or sharing it with others.
He noted that young people are important when voting in the upcoming election. “They’re much smarter than older people when it comes to social media,” he said. “It’s important to communicate with them through better curriculum in elementary, middle and high school so we can be better citizens when they reach voting age. .”
If he continues to serve as secretary of state in Washington, Hobbs hopes to expand efforts to educate state voters. He wants to hire a leader and a group of people, and contract with organizations, to continue working to help create the proper message for elections and voting laws, and to encourage everyone of voting age to vote.
Days before the election, Hobbs will campaign across the state spreading the message of why he should keep his job.
Hobbs was born in Everett, Washington, and has been married to his wife of over 25 years. The couple has three sons. Two people followed in his footsteps to join the Army National Guard. His second son, Truman, won a bronze medal in swimming at the Special Olympics in Florida in June.
Hobbes was drafted into the army at the age of 17. He completed two assignments in Kosovo and Iraq and held various leadership positions. He is currently a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army National Guard.
Hobbs earned an Associate of Arts degree from Everett Community College, then went to the University of Washington to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration.
In 2006, he was elected state senator representing Washington’s 44th legislative district, which covers a large area east of Everett, including Maltby, Mill Creek and Snohomish.
Hobbs’ campaign website can be found at e-commerce site.
Jason is available at info@nwasianweekly.com.
