The opinion letter (“Re-elect Kim Wyman for secretary of state”) posted on July 17 fails to mention the following:

• Under Kim Wyman’s watch, voter participation has declined an alarming amount in the past four years.

• Six in 10 people do not currently participate.

• 1.5 million eligible voters are not registered to vote.

• Wyman has been dangerously ineffective and unable to fix the broken primary system or the alarming decline in voter turnout.

• Wyman claims to be nonpartisan and neutral on all social issues, yet takes money from extreme gun rights WA Gun Owners Action League and raises money and stumps for pro-life legislators and Republican candidates.

I am a former small business owner in Seattle and mother of two Seattle Public Schools high-school students. I know first hand that an engaged electorate makes for better government, and that’s exactly what Tina Podlodowski will work for if we elect her as secretary of state.

Podlodowski knows what’s needed to boost voter registration and turnout. She has the experience and skills honed through 30 years in business and government to carry out her innovative ideas. She possesses the determination, integrity and follow-through to stick to her promises once elected.

We need a change in the secretary of state’s office. Republican Secretary Wyman has presided over an alarming decline in voter participation; fewer than four in 10 people voted in the last general election. This is not an equation that leads to a strong and active democracy. Wyman also opposes common sense election reforms like the Washington Voting Rights Act and making ballots postage-free. Podlodowski supports these innovations and she has the tenacity and drive to make them happen.

Let’s elect Podlodowski as our next secretary of state.

Paula Kopp

Seattle