PORT ANGELES — Kim Yacklin, a candidate for Clallam County auditor, has asked the Secretary of State’s Office to investigate the election process that involves her opponent, Elections Supervisor Shoona Riggs, and Auditor Patty Rosand, Riggs’ supporter and supervisor.
“I think it’s time that we do a complete investigation of the process and perhaps get some higher level officers and/or elected officials involved,” Yacklin said in an 11:18 p.m. Friday email to Secretary of State Kim Wyman, whom she notes in the email has endorsed Riggs.
“What do you recommend?”
Yacklin said she has “grave concerns” that Riggs and Rosand “are involved with the elections process at all.”
Yacklin said four friends recently received letters from the Auditor’s Office that their signatures did not match.
“They have NEVER had this happen before and in fact, two of them didn’t think their signature was different at all,” she said.
“This seems quite concerning for all of us.
“The integrity of elections I believe is compromised when each of these persons are involved in the process.”
Supervision
Riggs, 41, is running against Yacklin, 50, in a nonpartisan contest to succeed Rosand, who is retiring.
The elections supervisor oversees a small elections staff and fills in where needed.
Riggs has said she is never with ballots by herself and will not be opening ballots.
Rosand said Saturday that Riggs does not make decisions on signatures or other matters regarding individual ballots and that neither she nor Riggs knows to whom the letters were sent.
‘Not enough’
“I’m not saying the safeguards aren’t enough,” Yacklin said Saturday.
“I think it’s curious these individuals have never had their ballots returned and they feel their signatures aren’t any different.
“I’m not saying I was suspicious; I just am curious.”
Yacklin said she wants the Secretary of State’s Office to step in and assist with the election.
Riggs said Saturday she did not understand why Yacklin was asking for the investigation at this time.
Ballots for the general election were mailed to voters Oct. 15 and are due Nov. 4.
“This is my job to run the election,” Riggs said.
“I have run over 62 elections and never once had someone question my integrity.”
Signature checkers with State Patrol training in signature-verification check all ballots to make sure they match signatures on file, Riggs said.
“I don’t have anything to do with that,” she said.
“People’s signatures change over years, even though you might think they don’t.”
Voters whose signatures are brought into question can come into the elections office or mail the ballot back and correct the signature so the ballots can be approved, Riggs added.
Rosand said neither she nor Riggs is involved in checking signatures other than overall supervision of employees.
“The same people have been checking them every election,” Rosand said.
She said signatures on about 150 ballots are questioned every election.
Political party observers are present whenever Rosand and Riggs are handling ballots, Rosand added.
“We knew there would be a potential conflict, but there was no one else to conduct the election,” she said.
A representative from the Secretary of State’s Office could not be reached for comment Saturday.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
