Something New to Prepare County Election Officials in Washington State For Potential Federal Intervention
OLYMPIA, WA – Two of Washington’s top officials are giving counties some new direction ahead of the November election.
This week, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is denouncing President Trump’s executive order creating new U.S. Postal Service rules for the issuing and return of ballots.
“The post office is taking your ballot as a piece of mail, but not stamping it that day,” Cantwell said.
With the General Election about two months away, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs claims the Trump administration’s mail-in ballot executive order is already creating chaos with new U-S Postal Service rules for the issuing and return of ballots.
“Five million ballots,” Hobbs said. “We don’t have the ability to reprint those.”
Cantwell supports a new guide from the Washington Attorney General and the Secretary of State explaining the legal processes that apply when federal officials interact with state elections.
Hobbs is joining with the Washington Attorney General’s office to issue a guide for county election officials outlining state and federal roles in elections. Among other things, it includes guidance on dealing with federal law enforcement at voting centers.
It also clarifies that federal law enforcement cannot legally be deployed to intimidate voters. The guide was distributed to all 39 county election offices in Washington on Thursday.