The election is right around the corner and the race for Washington’s next governor is neck and neck.  WTIA has set up an easy to use call to action to communicate to both Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna the key issues for the technology industry.

Whoever becomes our next governor will have to grapple with many tough issues.  Responding to the McCleary decision and funding K-12 will be the top priority.  Keeping higher education budgets whole will be a challenge.  Implementing the (very expensive) state health exchange and managing state health care expenditures will be difficult.

The state’s tech sector has been one of the few economic bright spots the last few years.  Companies of all shapes and sizes have been growing and hiring to the point where qualified engineers, developers and designers are in short supply.

We need the next governor to keep the pressure on K-12 schools to keep improving math and science.  He will need to push for more STEM degrees from the state’s universities.  Renewal of tax incentives for R&D will come up in the next two years.  The uncertainty in the health care market for small businesses necessitates that Association Health Plans remain viable as an option for tech companies to cover their employees and families.

Please take WTIA’s call to action today and make your voice heard to both candidates for governor.  It takes 2 minutes to send.  The message is even editable so you can put it in your own style.

Here’s the link: http://www.capwiz.com/techvoice/wa/home/