For immediate release:

From King County Democrats

Steve Zemke- Chair

stevezemke@msn.com

Republican Ballot Collection in King County Threatens Integrity of Election Process

The King County Democrats condemn the canvassing efforts of Rob McKenna and the King County Republicans to collect ballots at people’s doors and put them into King County Elections Drop boxes.  This breaks the historical chain of custody that has existed in our election process and opens it to abuse and fraud.

We would never have allowed one party or unauthorized election officials to collect ballots from polling places in the past and transfer them to King County Elections. Yet what McKenna and Republicans are doing is taking ballots from voters and breaking the chain of custody that existed in the past and that putting a ballot in the mail or a drop box insures.

Tampering with mail is a Federal offense and tampering with votes is a felony. Yet who is watching over the ballots when GOP paid canvassers pick up ballots and ensuring that ballots are not lost or changed or tampered with.  GOP paid canvassers are not election officials and should not be handling ballots.

We urge Washington State Secretary of State Sam Reed to call a halt to this unforeseen and callous attempt to destroy the ballot chain of custody process. We likewise urge Sherril Huff of King County Elections to also tell Republicans to cease this process as it threatens the integrity of the election results. Would state and local election officials think it was OK for anyone to remove ballots from a drop box and transport them to King County?  Republicans and McKenna need to cease this process now!

McKenna Camp Paying People to Collect Ballots; KC Elections Advises Voters to Send Ballots In Themselves  http://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-profiles/publicola/articles/mckenna-camp-paying-people-to-collect-ballots-kc-elections-advises-voters-to-send-ballots-in-themselves

Elections officials caution voters about canvassers offering to help with ballots http://www.king5.com/news/local/Elections-officials-caution-voters-on-canvassers-offering-to-help-with-ballots-177047041.html

King County Warns that GOP Is Trying to Collect Ballots http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/11/02/king-county-warns-that-gop-is-trying-to-collect-ballots

WA: GOP Volunteers Going Door To Door In DEMOCRATIC King County TO COLLECT BALLOTS!!!   http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021701454

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