![]() ![]() Riggs said if people are concerned about possible illegal activity at or around ballot boxes, they should call law enforcement with Clallam County’s non-emergency dispatch at 36. However, she said some party members have shared concerns about ballot box observers’ presence. “As far as I’m aware, no one is really concerned about repeat drop-offs,” he said.Ĭlallam County Democrats election observer coordinator Sandy Ulf said local Democrats don’t monitor ballot boxes “because of safeguards in place.” Lynn said ballot box “stuffing” is not illegal in Washington state, as election officials have safeguards against fraudulent ballots. “I haven’t seen anything suspicious at this point,” he said. When asked how he felt about the local election process’ security, Truby said, “my feeling is that it is (secure).” It’s supposed to be a transparent process.” “There are always impartial observers looking for illegal activities. “Every year, there’s always people questioning the sanctity and validity of elections,” he said. Truby said he and other observers have been spoken to and asked questions by passers-by, and one woman took his photo. He recorded license plates on a notepad to see if there were repeated numbers for drop-offs. ![]() Truby said he learned of the group through his neighbors for the general election to make sure there were no issues at the ballot boxes. He’s part of what he said is a nonpartisan citizen group watching ballot boxes, looking for “anything suspicious.” ![]() Lynn said the observers only take photos of suspicious activity.įrom his truck between the former JCPenney and Brian’s Sporting Goods buildings, Brian Truby of Sequim was a ballot box observer last Friday afternoon. “It isn’t harassment and it’s protected.” “You can take pictures of mostly anything you want,” he said. Hill said they have not had reports of people taking video of a ballot box, but he said that isn’t illegal since it’s a public area. In guidelines provided to her, she said, they do not engage people park at least 25 feet from drop boxes do not videotape voters, and if they log the number of vehicles, they document it below the dashboard, document any aggressive behavior and notify law enforcement. Riggs said she’s conferred with observers about state law ( RCW 29A.84.510) and said they’ve been thorough to abide by it. “Some people may feel harassed, but for a criminal offense, there needs to be certain things happening.” “Harassment isn’t passive … and just sitting in a public place,” he said. Hill said reports of “harassment” were of observers sitting in their vehicles, but officers said they haven’t seen anything illegal. “We’ve measured, and we’ve contacted them, and their intent is to observe ballot boxes and see if there are any crimes occurring there or (people) interfering with the election process.” “We received several calls about different vehicles and they’re parked about 100 feet (away),” Hill said. Sequim deputy police chief Mike Hill said patrol officers have not seen any illegal activity around the ballot box and that they continue to patrol and respond to calls. Lynn said he’s been in touch with the independent group, and he said they are asked not to engage people even if community members engage them. Riggs said about 70 percent of ballots come from dropboxes, a number that has dropped slightly since the county started paying for postage for mail-in ballots. “We haven’t had any reports of (ballot box observing) in Jefferson County,” said Quinn Grewell, the county’s election coordinator. Jodi Wilke, Jefferson County Republicans’ vice chair, said her party has representatives observing the election process at the Jefferson County courthouse, but she was “not aware of any plans to do (ballot box observing).” The group not affiliated with the Republican Party, Lynn said.Ĭlallam County Democrat officials say they have not asked people to watch ballot boxes. “If something bad happens, they have somebody able to report it.” “They want to make sure everyone’s safe,” he said. ![]()
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