Good rapid response by King County Dems and WA State Dems to ballot theft

[eridani]

Washington State Democrats Chair Pelz Calls on Secretary of State Sam Reed to Denounce GOP Ballot Collection Tactics

Seattle -- Today, the Washington State Democrats called on Secretary of State Sam Reed to denounce the recently announced practice by the King County Republican Party of sending Republican operatives to collect ballots. The Washington State Republican Party and the campaign of Rob McKenna have recently been recruiting unknown paid canvassers to go door-to-door collecting ballots, leaving their delivery in the hands of partisan political operatives.

Reed, who recently gave $50,000 to the WSRP, should encourage the Republican party to direct voters to return their ballots through official means, either by mail, at a drop box, or at a mobile drop box. As Secretary of State, Reed is responsible for ensuring the independence and integrity of our elections, and this tactic by Republicans threatens that.

"This looks like a campaign that doesn't know how to run a get out the vote program and is panicking," said Washington State Democrats Chair Dwight Pelz. "Voters in King County have many ways in which to return their ballots, including by mail, in a drop box, or in a mobile drop box. Republicans should be encouraging people to return their ballot through official means, as we and the County have done, but instead they are creating a situation fraught with the opportunity of voter fraud."

"We've learned a lot about Rob McKenna's ethics this week -- from taxpayer-funded trips to Disneyland, to going door-to-door taking people's ballots away from them. This isn't how we conduct fair elections; Rob McKenna's campaign should cease this practice immediately."

The full text of the letter is below:

By Email and U.S. Mail

Hon. Sam Reed
Secretary of State
416 Sid Snyder Ave. S.W.
Legislative Building
Olympia, WA

Dear Secretary Reed:

I represent the Washington State Democratic Party. It has come to our attention that the King County Republican Party is informing voters that they can and should drop off voted ballots not at county election offices or U.S. mailboxes, but instead a temporary pick up locations staffed by Republican party operatives. Worse, these actions are being taken in direct contravention of guidance from the King County Elections Department. http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections.aspx.

This initiative is as ill-considered as it is unprecedented. There is a reason why nonpartisan election officials conduct our elections and the prospect of having partisan operatives collect voted ballots and return them to the elections office is chilling indeed. It is especially concerning in light of press reports from around the country about deliberate efforts by Republican Party officials to disenfranchise Democratic voters by collecting and then destroying their voter registration applications. See, e.g., http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57535950/man-charged-after-tossing-voter-registration-forms-in-virginia/.

Worse, state law makes it a felony for a person to either directly or indirectly offer anything of value to a voter in exchange for a vote. RCW 29A.84.620. The collection and delivery of ballots at the expense of the Republican Party seems a plain and clear violation of that statute.

As Washingtons chief elections officer, I ask that you defend our tradition of nonpartisan election administration and call upon the King County Republican Party to immediately cease and desist from this, frankly, badly misguided effort and consider appropriate legal action if that becomes necessary.

Very truly yours,

Kevin J. Hamilton
KJH:wbs
cc: Katie Blinn, Co-Director of Elections

Announcement by King County Elections

http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/voting/ballotdropboxes/bdblocations.aspx

King County Elections strongly discourages giving possession or responsibility of your ballot to anyone other than USPS or official King County Elections drop locations.Voters may use the online ballot tracker to confirm that King County has received their ballot.
http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/ballottracker

The activity of collecting ballots for delivery is not prohibited by law.

King County GOP is collecting ballots at multiple van drop locations in King County

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/politicsnorthwest/2012/11/04/democrats-complain-about-new-king-county-gop-get-out-the-vote-tactic/

“This initiative is as ill-considered as it is unprecedented,” Kevin J. Hamilton, a Washington State Democratic Party attorney, wrote Saturday to Secretary Reed. “There is a reason why nonpartisan election officials conduct our elections and the prospect of having partisan operatives collect voted ballots and return them to the elections office is chilling indeed.”

Reed did not immediately return telephone and email messages Sunday seeking comment.

In a news release, King County officials said the county “strongly discourages giving possession or responsibility for ballots to anyone other than USPS or official King County Elections drop locations.”

County Executive Dow Constantine, a Democrat, and Elections Director Sherril Huff held a news conference in West Seattle this morning to advise voters not to give their ballot to anyone they don’t know.

Send an e-mail to Secretary of State Sam Reed urging he stop paid Republican canvassers collecting signed filled out ballots of voters. This breaks the chain of custody of ballots and opens the process to abuse and fraud. His e-mail is [e-mail] . Send a copy of e-mail to Sherril Huff at King County Elections. [e-mail] . Thanks.

[KILL THE WISE ONE]

1. Then a King county deputy should go to one of these locations, and arrest the Repub party operatives