Announcements

We at SAO extend our thanks to every local government that filed its fiscal year 2021 annual report on time! This year, approximately 88 percent of local governments—2 percent more than last year—met the annual filing deadline, proving once again that compliance, accountability and transparency matter in Washington state.

We've updated the infographic below to show which governments filed on time, which filed late, and which haven't filed yet. How does your county compare to the rest? The graphic still updates daily, so check back as often as you'd like.

A longtime employee of the Office of the Washington State Auditor (SAO) has been appointed chair of a national board that advocates for the improvement of government accounting and financial reporting standards.

The State Auditor's Office is excited to announce several key leadership changes. Please join us in congratulating all of our talented staff members on their new roles with SAO.

Spring is here and so is the annual report filing season. This year's deadline is May 30. Every year, we encourage governments to submit their annual reports on time. Not only does timely filing ensure local governments comply with state law, it demonstrates our shared commitment to accountability and transparency in government.

This year, we bring you a refreshed way to view filing progress across the state. Powered by SAO's Financial Intelligence Tool (FIT), our new infographic updates daily as we approach the deadline.

Have you been considering applying for a job at the State Auditor's Office? Do you have questions for our recruiters and staff? This is your chance!

During this spring's recruitment events, attendees will learn about SAO and the skills it takes to be an auditor at our Office. They will also have the opportunity to network with auditors and recruiters, learn what makes a candidate a great fit for SAO, and get a taste of what we do for #GoodGovernment.

After more than 38 years at the Office of the Washington State Auditor, Mark Rapozo, CPA, will retire effective April 2022. Rapozo built extensive professional and personal relationships during his long career in public service.

There has been interest in audits of three Washington charter schools released Thursday, March 2. To make it easier to find these reports as a group, we have collected them here:

Summit Public Schools Washington – Atlas

Today, the Office of the Washington State Auditor released a legislatively-mandated performance audit of ballot rejection in 10 Washington State counties during the 2020 general election.

In the counties reviewed, election officials followed the law in determining whether to reject a ballot. However, the likelihood that a voter's ballot will be rejected varied greatly by county. And ballots cast by some demographic groups – including younger voters, male voters, and those belonging to certain racial and ethnic groups – have higher rejection rates than others.

SAO's Performance Audit team has more than 30 staff members who combine their unique professional and educational backgrounds to develop innovative approaches to helping Washington's government programs become more efficient and effective. Since 2005, our Performance Audit team has examined a variety of issues like workplace culture, student behavioral health prevention and intervention, bail practices, and IT security.

The number of unauditable governments in Washington has dropped dramatically, leaving only eight that have failed to provide basic financial records and cooperate with an audit by the Office of the Washington State Auditor.