Protecting the integrity of our elections is a foundational responsibility of our government. The freedom to exercise the democratic franchise and trust that votes will be counted fairly is a defining aspect of American life. However, incidents in multiple Washington elections offices have imperiled these freedoms. Our elected leaders must respond to the ongoing dangers.
Elections staff in Washington and across the country were targeted repeatedly in 2023, most prominently during the November general election when white powder was mailed to offices across the nation, including King, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, and Spokane counties.
Similar attacks occurred during the Aug. 1 primary, when King County and Okanogan County election officials received suspicious substances in envelopes. The envelope and letter received by King County Elections were turned over to the United States Postal Inspection Service, which performed an analysis that detected trace amounts of fentanyl.
The substance found in the Okanogan County envelope was determined to be unharmful, but that testing only happened after the shock of discovering the powder-filled envelope led to the evacuation of the county courthouse. Election officials from several Washington counties received threats, some being to their lives, during the 2020 election.
This is why Washington legislators passed House Bill 1241. This bill will make it a class C felony to harass election workers.
These incidents illustrate the need to take seriously the threats that elections workers face in administering Washington’s democratic process. No one should leave their home for work in the morning for a job sustaining our democracy and have to fear for their health.
This is terrorism, and it must be stopped. Where do the threats end? In Washington state, a class C felony is punishable by up to five years in jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000. Such serious punishment matches the severity of the offense.
The safety of staff and observers is paramount as elections workers across the state open envelopes and count each voter’s ballot. These incidents underscore the critical need for stronger protections for all election workers. Democracy rests upon free and fair elections. These incidents threaten our elections and the public’s mistrust in elections.
When I assumed office in 2021, I vowed to prioritize greater election security, countering misleading and harmful election disinformation, and expanding voter education and outreach. As a lieutenant colonel in the Washington Army National Guard and having served in the U.S. Army in Kosovo and Iraq, I can confidently tell you I am committed to protecting those around me and the integrity of our great nation.
Elections are the foundation of our democracy, and I’m proud to help Washingtonians have access to convenient and secure civic participation. HB 1241 is crucial to protect the democratic process and those who uphold it.
I am thankful that this bill passed in strong fashion with a bipartisan 88-9 vote in the House and a 45-4 vote in the Senate. I urge Gov. Jay Inslee to make it a law in time to help protect this year’s high-interest primary and general elections.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is Washington’s top elections official.
