EFF requests election-related public records from Secretary of State

12/30/04

OLYMPIA - The Evergreen Freedom Foundation filed a public records request
with the Secretary of State today to obtain key election procedure documents
to evaluate the integrity of Washington state elections.

Congress recognized voting problems in the 2000 Presidential race and passed
the Help America Vote Act of 2002. State lawmakers responded similarly in
2003 and 2004 and changed the state election laws effective July 1, 2004.
Had these changes been properly implemented, many of the most serious
problems we confronted during this past election would have been moot. (i.e.
Different standards used in different counties, the proper handling of
provisional ballots, canvassing and recanvassing, ballot security, lack of
uniform standards for recounts, etc.)

Our Foundation is seeking to determine why the federal and state laws were
not fully implemented by the Secretary of State and what corrective action
is needed by the 2005 Legislature.

EFF President Bob Williams said the problems in the 2004 election transcend
the governor's race. "The impact of this election on the integrity of the
elections system and the governor-elect cannot be overstated. Free and fair
elections are the cornerstone of a legitimate representative government,"
said Williams. "Party politics should never trump the right of a qualified
citizen to cast a ballot and know it will be counted."

EFF is also seeking to determine the results of past reviews by the
Secretary of State of election procedures in King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish
and Thurston Counties, and whether the deficiencies previously identified
have been corrected.

We are also trying to identify how many military ballots were not counted
and why.

Evergreen Freedom Foundation
A Non-Profit Public Policy Research Organization
PO Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507
(360) 956-3482, www.effwa.org