One hallmark of our democracy is the peaceful transfer of power, dating all the way back to George Washington. For over 200 years, even bitter political opponents have yielded their authority to the candidate who receives the necessary votes to claim victory. James Buchanan did so with the country on the brink of a civil war when Abraham Lincoln won that presidential race. Even when there are questions about a very close race, candidates like Al Gore, ultimately recognized the need for a stable and peaceful transition of power. Although many of us have strong opinions on who is best suited to lead our nation, our state, or our city, we must all join in the goal of promoting the peaceful transition of power.
The health of our democracy relies on the ability to allow for shifts in leadership in an a peaceful, organized and ideally thoughtful process. With our election only weeks away, maybe you wonder what you can do to promote the peaceful transfer of power. I propose you do what you are trained to do: use facts and information to advocate for the integrity of our ballot counting process and the people who make that possible.
I admit that in years past I would characterize myself as complacent when it came to the issue of protecting our democracy. After all, no one could harass the voters in a state like Washington, where we vote in the convenience and privacy of our homes and the U.S. Postal service delivers most of our ballots. Surely, no one who read the details of the challenges to the legitimacy of ballot counts could possibly conclude there was merit to the claims of fixed election results. I was wrong.
Last November, four county elections offices in Washington were evacuated when election workers received envelopes containing suspicious substances (including some that tested positive for fentanyl) while processing ballots. Earlier this year, our legislature passed a bill aimed at providing protection for threatening election workers, because of the ongoing threats directed at election workers. According to Brennan Center for Justice’s 2024 survey, 38% of local election officials reported threats, harassment, or abuse; 54% reported fear for the safety of their colleagues and staff; and 7 in 10 report that threats have increased since 20201. We can no longer presume that people will express their views in constitutionally protected ways when there is evidence that threats and even violent conduct is considered justified by some members of our community.
Here are the facts on how our elections are conducted and why we can rely on the results:
- Ballots must be signed, placed into the provided envelope and mailed, with a postmark no later than election day or dropped into a ballot box no later than 8 p.m. on election day. This is the first step in verifying the authenticity of the ballot.
- Ballots are scanned, capturing the bar code on your ballot and taking a picture of the signature on your ballot. The picture is used to compare the signature on your ballot to the signature on file. If they do not match, the elections office will contact you to tell you there is a signature challenge and provide information to fix the problem.
- Election workers separate the security envelope from the return envelope, which ensures that your vote remains private. They inspect your ballot to make sure it can be read by the elections office equipment.
- The scanned ballots produce an image which is saved on a secure and closed system. The tabulation server is secured in a room with security cameras, biometric-controlled access and tamper evident seals. There are more than 50 cameras monitoring King County Elections facility.
- Election workers, in two person teams, review electronic ballot images to check for extra marks, unclear voter intent, or voter applied corrections.
- If you are interested in watching election workers do this work, you can watch the live camera feed that is broadcast when they are processing ballots2. You can sign up to be an election observer3. You can also track your ballot after it is cast4.
Please vote, starting October 17, 2024. Please support your local election workers. Please share facts when you hear the integrity of our voting system challenged.
1 Brennan Center for Justice May 2024 Local Election Officials Survey, Published May 1, 2024, https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/local-election-officials-survey-may-2024
2 https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/about-us/security-and-
accountability/watch-us-in-action
3 https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/about-us/security-and-
accountability/observing-elections-activities
4 https://info.kingcounty.gov/kcelections/vote/myvoterinfo.aspx
