What do you think about when you hear the term “election integrity”? The dictionary defines integrity this way: 1.) the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. 2.) the state of being whole and undivided. – the condition of being unified, unimpaired, or sound in construction. – internal consistency or lack of corruption in electronic data. Based on the definition you would think that how voters mark their ballots in an election matters, and it used to.
Here in Washington, we are working with a flawed system in more ways than one. First, we have all mail-in ballots. While mail-in ballots serve a purpose for those who are out of state or overseas or even for those who are physically unable to make it to a voting booth; those things make sense. Mail-in ballots for everyone else, not so much. Once upon a time, in our state, you would go to a voting center to cast your vote. Not only did they verify that you could vote (that you were legally eligible by meeting the RCWs set up in the state; such as living in our state) but you were given the opportunity to see friends, talk, bring your kids to see how the process worked and you were given a little sticker that said “I voted”. There were more protections in place to prevent fraudulent voting. The votes were tabulated and you knew who won.
These days, mail-in voting, gives you around 20 days to pick up your ballot, fill it out, and either take it to the courthouse, drop it in a ballot box, or put it in the mail. Ballots placed in the mail are considered “good” depending on their postmark date. So if you drop your ballot into the mail on election day but after the last mail is picked up, then it will be processed the next day and won’t count. You have to sign your ballot – on the outside of the envelope – which also brings with it the concern for other issues. There is no validation of “who you are”, further, if someone fills out your ballot and turns it in before you do – the first vote counts. What? How? Well, in this state we can print out the ballots online and they are legal.
Clallam County is known as a “bellwether” county. This means that the way the county votes generally signifies the way the rest of the state will vote. We are not the only bellwether county but one of them. Defined as: A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.[1] In politics, the term often applies in a metaphorical sense to characterize a geographic region where political tendencies match in microcosm those of a wider area, such that the result of an election in the former region might predict the eventual result in the latter.
When you vote, and your ballot makes it to the county, then what? Well, it’s counted, right? It goes through a verification process. This process is supposed to be open for viewing by poll watchers. Each county determines how a poll watcher can watch. This means that some counties allow full transparency and others make it as difficult as possible to follow the process. There are people who verify the signatures against a database before sending the ballots forward to be counted. They separate the envelopes from the ballots, putting them into two different piles. The ballots are run through a machine; which means there is a software control. There isn’t supposed to be any connection available to the internet so there can be no interference. Once the ballots are processed, the information is then compiled, and sent via the internet to the Secretary of State’s office.
However, not all the ballots are processed that come in. There is a ‘limited’ number per day that is run through the machines. There are those who aren’t verified that are placed in another pile to be handled; unless you check to make sure your ballot has been processed, then it may not count. If it isn’t processed you can contact the auditor’s office and find out why. Often times, this can be fixed but you have to know that the problem exists.
Due to many inconsistencies, the WSRP (Washington State Republican Party) created an election integrity committee (EIC) to look into anomalies. More votes from a location than the number of people who live there, people who have passed who voted, etc. Bill Bruch heads up that committee. As a matter of fact, you can view a short report he made recently here.
You can also follow his posts here. He has been actively following and investigating election integrity issues in our state. There is a lot of good information to be found. There are suggestions on how you can help with this process.
Ultimately, the process needs to be changed in order to ensure true election integrity. By voting in good conservative candidates who care about the process, the laws can be changed. We need to remain vigilant in the process, of getting ballots returned and counted. We need to stay on top of what is happening to make the people who are in charge know we are watching and care what happens. Don’t let someone tell you that your vote doesn’t matter because the system is corrupt. It may be. However, by not voting, you are allowing someone else to have your voice. You are telling people that you don’t care what happens. That you aren’t willing to stand up and be counted. That the way things are happening is alright with you. If that is the case, then don’t vote.
If you care what is happening, make sure to vote. Help others get their ballots returned. Many people set their ballots aside and think that they will get to it later. They never do. Vote earlier so you can verify that your ballot was counted, and if it wasn’t received, you still have time to follow up on it. Make sure that you are actively involved in the process in some way. Even if that simply means filling out the ballot and making sure it is returned. There are other ways to get involved; you can learn more about that by reaching out to the county party where you live. We can create change if you get involved.