PORT ANGELES — Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman will not investigate the Clallam County Auditor’s Office over auditor candidate Kim Yacklin’s allegations of potential voter-signature improprieties and conflicts of interest in the county elections division.
“Emotions run high in the final days of political campaigns,” Wyman said in a Sunday email to the Peninsula Daily News.
Wyman also sent the email to Yacklin, Yacklin’s opponent, county elections supervisor and auditor candidate Shoona Riggs and retiring Auditor Patty Rosand, who has endorsed Riggs.
“To ensure people on all sides of the election have confidence in the final results, it is essential that election laws and rules are followed by those responsible for processing and counting ballots,” she said.
“In Washington state, this statutory responsibility is given to the elected county auditors.
“As part of our statewide review schedule, we are currently reviewing Clallam County’s policies and procedures for compliance with federal and state laws and rules in this general election.”
Wyman added: “We have a staff member on premises during most of this election.”
Wyman’s spokesman, Dave Ammons, said Monday there will be no separate investigation into Yacklin’s allegations.
“There seemed to be nothing amiss,” he said.
“There seemed to be the normal process with the signature verification process.”
As to Rosand endorsing Riggs, “the fact that someone endorses someone else is part of their civil rights to do that,” Ammons said.
Wyman also has endorsed Riggs.
“Auditors endorse each other and endorse candidates for various public offices,” Ammons said.
He added that multiple observers are typically present at all times when ballots are being processed.
“There seemed to be nothing unusual about the circumstances brought forward by [Yacklin].”
Yacklin said Monday she is putting the matter to rest.
“I appreciate the response of the secretary of state,” she said.
“She is the final decision-maker on this issue.
“I’ve voiced my concerns, and now we will just respect the process as we move forward.”
Yacklin also urged anyone who is notified that their ballot signature does not match what’s on file to follow through and “make sure their vote counts.”
Riggs, too, was ready to put the issue behind her.
“I was never ready to put it in front of me in the first place,” she said.
“[Wyman] responded accurately to any of Kim’s concerns.”
In an 11:18 p.m. Friday email to Wyman, Yacklin called for “a complete investigation of the process and perhaps get some higher level officers and/or elected officials involved.”
She expressed “grave concerns” at Riggs’ and Rosand’s involvement in the process.
Yacklin focused on four friends who had received letters from the Auditor’s office questioning their signatures.
Ballot signatures are matched with signatures that are on file in the Auditor’s Office, and voters are notified if they don’t appear to coincide.
Her friends “have NEVER had this happen before,” Yacklin said in the email and said the integrity of the election is compromised by Riggs’ and Rosand’s involvement.
Rosand said Monday that Wyman’s response to Yacklin “covered it pretty well.”
She added that the county canvassing board, comprised of herself, Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman and county Prosecuting Attorney Will Payne, makes final decisions on signatures that do not appear to match those on file.
Rosand said Payne, who is running for re-election, has recused himself from canvassing board decisions for the Nov. 4 election.
Riggs also is not resolving any questionable votes for her own race, Rosand said.
“Whenever there is a write-in for auditor or a correction made according to the standards for a correction, she will step back,” Rosand said in an email.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
