Concern is brewing in Washington State over a requirement that mail-in-voters mark their party affiliation on their mail-in envelopes.
The issue sprung into the limelight Thursday when local voter Rachel Stewart posted a picture of her mail-in envelope to the social media platform X.
Look:
New Washington State envelopes for mail-in ballots. NEVER had to disclose my party declaration on the OUTSIDE of my ballot before. Don’t feel really good about this…. @JimWalshLD19 @WAGOP pic.twitter.com/DOgC2obyli
— Rachel Stewart (@rachstew13) February 22, 2024
However, despite her assertion of having “NEVER” had to disclose her affiliation before, the issue actually predates this election and goes as far back as to the 2016 election, according to Spokane station KREM.
“Having to mark your voting party on the ballot envelope is not a new requirement in Washington state, according to Lincoln County Auditor Chandra Schumacher. Marking your party delegation was also required in the 2016 and 2020 primaries,” the station notes.
The key word there is primaries, as this requirement only pertains to primary elections and not general elections. Also, despite this requirement seeming quite shady, it is legal.
“This is an internal party process that is backed up by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs explained to KREM.
The ballot in Washington State, @GovInslee, is insecure.
The outer return envelope requires party declaration, and is publicly visible. The choice inside is mutually exclusive, one party or the other, and does not require public or party disclosure.
How is this justified? pic.twitter.com/KivdKARuFe
— Terry Losansky (@TerryLosansky) February 24, 2024
All this said, criticism against this requirement is beginning to mount.
Speaking with Fox News, Washington State Republican Party chair Jim Walsh called the requirement “questionable” though he also stressed that it’s not a state law but just a guideline.
“The design where the attestation, the declaration is on the outer part of the envelope, that is not state law, that is a guideline, an administrative decision made by the Washington Secretary of State in conjunction with local county level election officials,” he said.
“That is not statutory, that’s just a questionable design decision by the Secretary of State working in conjunction with the local county elections people,” he continued.
But why this guideline?
According to local radio station KTTH reporter Jason Rantz, there are two primary reasons for this flawed design choice.
NEW: Voters are again miffed and concerned that you must check a Washington party declaration on the outside of the primary ballot return envelope. It’s not especially private.
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) February 24, 2024
“First, state parties and campaigns want to know who to target for political mailers. Party declarations are technically public, so long as you follow the public disclosure process for the information,” he explained for KTTH.
“The state does not have party voter registration making it difficult to track who should be targeted with mailers. Both Republicans and Democrats want to spend dollars wisely, sending the right campaign literature to the voters most likely to support their respective candidates,” he added.
And secondly, he continued, “the party affiliation declaration is on the outside of the Washington ballot envelope supposedly so that it may be sorted before being opened.”
But because of concerns that Republican ballots might be tossed by angry Democrat ballot sorters, state Republicans have reportedly been trying to add an “unaffiliated” option to the envelope but to no avail thanks to state Democrats.
Walsh for his part told Rantz and he “recommends people not mail the ballot” for the time being but instead “deliver it to a ballot box or give it to a trusted person to deliver.”
@CannConActual @AsheinAmerica Washington State Presidential Primary Ballot … you have to declare on the outside of the envelope?!? Also no option for independents! This is how ballots get tossed before they can even be counted! pic.twitter.com/BJVhIXJYY5
— Jenna Valada (@valada_jenna) February 23, 2024
Oh, look! this one is a republican voter pic.twitter.com/tzRQGLxadE
— J. Corridon (@JamieCorridon) February 23, 2024
But according to Rantz, there’s very little need for voters to fear that their mail-in primary ballots will be tossed in the first place.
“Fraud at the primary stage doesn’t make a whole lot of sense this election cycle. Donald Trump will be the nominee and it’s unlikely any other candidate would come close enough for stealth fraud to take place,” he explained.
“And while fraud (and mistakes) obviously occur, there’s been no recent evidence of widespread fraud that would be enough to change national elections,” he added.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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