On Tuesday, the Washington State Secretary of State (SOS) issued a warning about a website that had come to its attention as being suspicious. The website, www.votewashington.info, provides information about challenged ballots so that voters can be aware of their ballot status and take action to ensure their vote is counted. The Secretary of State’s office said that it received numerous complaints about this website from Washington citizens concerned that it was a disinformation attempt, or it had some other nefarious purpose. As a result, the Secretary of State’s office issued its warning, and it reported the website to Homeland Security. I also reported this warning on social media based on the SOS announcement and press reports .
After the story was reported on local media, KIRO TV news did some digging and found the two gentlemen who developed and maintain the website. Last night on their 11:00pm news cast, they broadcast a segment that explained the purpose of the website and that it was a voluntary effort by the gentlemen to inform the public.
This afternoon, Secretary of State Kim Wyman held a press conference to clarify her original warning. She noted that there was no contact information on the website that they could use to talk to the originators. With that, her office contacted Homeland Security and issued her warning.
Subsequently, her office and Homeland Security were able to talk to the website administrators in a video chat that set the record straight as to their purpose and their intentions. Secretary Wyman said that during the video chat she got the sense that they wanted to help voters whose ballots have been challenged.
She also noted that the website uses public information about voter registration and elections. Voter registration information that is public includes Name (First, Last, Middle), Residential Address, Mailing Address, Date of Birth, Voter history (what elections you voted in, not how you voted), and Gender. A voter’s signature, SSN, and driver's license number are not part of the public record.
After all this publicity, the website has made some changes. It has added the link to the Washington State’s Voter Portal, plus added a “About VoteWashington.info” section that more fully explains its purpose.
Elections officials have noted that if your ballot is challenged, you will be contacted by a letter from your county elections office with instructions on what you can do to solve the issue. And, you have until November 23 to respond.
Washington State Secretary of State:
https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/
Snohomish County Auditor:
https://snohomishcountywa.gov/224/Elections-Voter-Registration
King County Elections:
https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/elections.aspx
KIRO TV:
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