Washington voters sound alarm over requirement to mark party affiliation on mail-in ballot envelope

Concerns are being raised in Washington state about requiring mail-in voters to mark their party affiliation on their mail-in envelopes.

The issue came to light on Thursday when local voter Rachel Stewart posted a photo of her mailed envelope on social media platform X.

Look at:

New Washington state envelopes for mail-in ballots. I have NEVER had to disclose my party statement on the OUTSIDE of my ballot before. Don't feel too good about it… @JimWalshLD19 @WAGOP pic.twitter.com/DOgC2obyli

— Rachel Stewart (@rachstew13) February 22, 2024

However, despite his claim that he had “NEVER” had to disclose his affiliation before, the issue predates this election and goes all the way back to the 2016 election, according to the Spokane station. CREME.

“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. In 2016 and 2020 you also had to mark your party delegation primaries“, the station notes.

The key word is primary, as this requirement only refers to primary elections and not general elections. Also, while this requirement seems pretty obscure, it is legal.

“This is an internal party process that is supported by the US Supreme Court,” Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs told KREM.

Voting in Washington State, @GovInsleeit is unsafe

The outer return envelope requires the declaration of the party and is publicly visible. The inside election 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

That said, criticism against this requirement is starting to mount.

talking with Fox NewsWashington State Republican Party Chairman Jim Walsh called the requirement “questionable,” though he also stressed that it is not a state law but only a guideline.

“The design where the certificate, the statement is on the outside of the envelope, that's not a state law, that's a guideline, an administrative decision made by the Washington Secretary of State along with local county election officials” , he said. said

“This is not legal, it's just a questionable design decision by the Secretary of State working in conjunction with the local county election people,” he continued.

But why this guideline?

According to local radio station KTTH reporter Jason Rantz, there are two main reasons for this flawed design choice.

NEW: Voters are once again upset and concerned that you have to check a Washington party statement on the outside of your primary ballot return envelope. It's not particularly private.

reads https://t.co/sQNx7OzkIt

— Jason Rantz at KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) February 24, 2024

“First of all, parties and state campaigns want to know who to direct political messages to. Party statements are technically public, as long as you follow the public disclosure process,” he explained to KTTH.

“The state does not have a party voter registry, which makes it difficult to track who to target with mailers. Both Republicans and Democrats want to spend money wisely, sending out campaign literature suited to voters most likely to support their respective candidates,” he added.

And second, he continued, “the party affiliation statement is on the outside of the Washington ballot envelope supposedly so it can be sorted before it's opened.”

But because of concerns that Republican ballots could be thrown by angry Democratic vote-taker, state Republicans have tried to add an “unaffiliated” option to the envelope, but to no avail thanks to state Democrats.

Walsh, for his part, told Rantz and he “advises people not to mail the ballot” for now, but to “drop it in a ballot box or give it to someone you trust to drop it off “.

@CannConActual @AsheinAmerica Washington State Presidential Primary Voting…do you have to declare on the outside of the envelope?!? There is no option for independents either! This is how the ballots are cast before they can be counted! pic.twitter.com/BJVhIXJYY5

— Jenna Valada (@valada_jenna) February 23, 2024

Oh look! this 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 their mail-in primary ballots being cast in the first place.

“Fraud at the primary stage does not make much sense this election cycle. Donald Trump will be the nominee and it is unlikely that any other candidate will come close enough for a sneaky fraud to occur,” he explained.

“And while fraud (and errors) obviously happen, there has been no recent evidence of widespread fraud that is sufficient to change national elections,” he added.

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