September 16, 2024, the Washington State Republican Party (WAGOP) filed an action in federal court by Ard Law Group to dismiss and reverse a Democrat scheme to destroy the State Constitution's rule that a person be a Washinton State resident for 30 days before registering to vote. WAGOP State Chairman Jim Walsh and Franklin County Auditor Matt Beaton were named as proposed Intervenor-Defendants.
State Chair Walsh wrote on Twitter - “Today, Franklin Co Auditor Matt Beaton, WAGOP and I filed a federal court lawsuit to reverse a shady scheme to destroy the State Constitution's rule that a person be a WA resident for 30 days before registering to vote. The crux of the problem is a phony consent decree concocted by State AG Ferguson & WA Sec of State Hobbs to end the 30-day residency requirement. They claim their "decree" was the necessary result of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit org. We reject that bogus excuse. We are asking the Federal Court reverse the shady scheme and help us stand for Fee and Fair elevctions in Washington State. This urgent election integrity issue needs to be fixed now.”
SUMMARY:
November 20, 2023, the Leftist Organization Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans via the Leftist Elias Law Group filed a 22-page Amended Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief in US District Court, Western District of Washington, against the Dem WA Sec of State (SoS) and two leftist county auditors in King and Thurston Counties.
Among other things, the carefully crafted complaint targets the homeless, illegals, newcomers, etc., who may arrive in Washington within 30 days of an election, and reads:
The Voting Rights Act (“VRA”) prohibits states from preventing otherwise eligible voters from voting for president and vice president based on how long they have resided in the state before election day. And the United States Constitution prohibits such requirements in all elections. Section 202 of the VRA is explicit: “No citizen of the United States who is otherwise qualified to vote in any election for President and Vice President shall be denied the right to vote . . . in such election because of the failure of such citizen to comply with any durational residency requirement of such State or political subdivision.” 52 U.S.C. § 10502(c).”
Washington’s Durational Residency Requirement denies otherwise eligible Washington voters their right to participate in elections in their new domicile and have a voice in selecting the elected officials who will represent them going forward.
Washington law also requires voters to attest under penalty of perjury that they have resided at their current address for at least 30 days before the date of the election. See RCW 29A.08.230 (requiring voters to attest to meeting the state’s durational residency requirement on their voter registration form); WAC 434-230 015 (requiring voters to re-attest to meeting the state’s durational residency requirements on the ballot). And Washington law includes no exception for presidential or other federal elections.
THEN LO AND BEHOLD…
On March 15, 2024, a mutually agreed court order granting the joint motion for entry of consent judgment and decree, which states:
To resolve the litigation, Defendants have agreed to entry of the consent decree, under which “registrants will no longer be required to attest, under penalty of perjury, that they have resided at their Washington address for at least 30 days immediately before the next election.” The consent decree sets out changes Defendants have agreed to make to Washington’s voter registration forms, computerized voter registration applications, and printed and online guidance on voter eligibility and registration.
The sham (agreed) order was clear collaborated collusion and is easy to see right through - Yeah… Most obviously orchestrated by both the “Plaintiff” (a biased 501(c)(4) Non-Profit Organization) Via Leftist Elias Law Group and Leftist “Defendants” SoS, King County Auditor Julie Wise and Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall…Then rubber-stamped by a Leftist Judge, all under the watch of corrupt AG Bob Ferguson…
This was Democrat contrived lawfare and is how courts are being used to destroy the integrity of voting systems across the country. A Leftist is (s)elected, invites a suit, “settles it,” and claims to have changed the law.
How very convenient for all the Democrat Operatives involved in this agreement to create and allow more cheating in our elections. Encouraging more illegitimate voters and fostering more illegitimate Democrat beneficiaries and bureaucrats.
The order violates state law RCW 29A.08.230 - Oath of Applicant. And, of course, they know this…Or even worse, they blindly assume it violates state law and the State Constitution, which it DOES NOT!
SEE WA STATE CONSTITUTION: Art VI, Section 1 Qualifications of Electors. All persons of the age of eighteen years or over who are citizens of the United States and who have lived in the state, county, and precinct thirty days immediately preceding the election at which they offer to vote…
The RCW 29A.08.230 Statute and Oath is State Law and says:
For all voter registrations, the registrant shall sign the following oath:
"I declare that the facts on this voter registration form are true. I am a citizen of the United States, I will have lived at this address in Washington for at least thirty days immediately before the next election at which I vote, and I am at least sixteen years old. I am not disqualified from voting due to a court order, and I am not currently serving a sentence of total confinement under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections for a Washington felony conviction, and I am not currently incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction."
THE DEMS ARE MIS-REPRESENTING THE RCW, which properly says: “I will have lived at this address in Washington State for at least thirty days immediately before the next election at which I vote.”
HERE IS THE Old SoS “Pre-Deleted” Verbiage on the Voter Registration Form:
I declare that the facts on this voter registration form are true. I am a citizen of the United States, I will have lived at this address in Washington for at least thirty days immediately before the next election at which I vote, and I am at least sixteen years old. I am not disqualified from voting due to a court order, and I am not currently serving a sentence of total confinement under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections for a Washington felony conviction, and I am not currently incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction.
HERE IS THE New SoS “Post-Deleted” Verbiage on the Form:
I declare that the facts on this voter registration form are true. I am a citizen of the United States, I am a Washington state resident, and I am at least sixteen years old. I am not disqualified from voting due to a court order, and I am not currently serving a sentence of total confinement under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections for a Washington felony conviction, and I am not currently incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction.
It sure does appear that Dem SoS Hobbs has violated state law by removing the residency language from the voter registration form. Why are Democrats resorting to such tactics?
Hobbs could have implemented an easy remedy: Create a special federal ballot for people moving from another state to Washington within 30 days of an election, containing only the presidential race. This would comply with the State Constitution Art VI Sec. 1 and RCW 29A.08.230.
Other states impose registration deadlines to confirm voter eligibility for good reasons, including helping to eliminate fraud.
This Democratic collusion makes it impossible to confirm eligibility if there is no residency requirement or registration deadline for anyone wishing to vote in a Washington election and needs to be reversed! Now, anyone can come to Washington on election day and register and vote in our elections. With no time or way to verify the voter’s identity, what a great way to vote phantom ballots…
OF NOTE: US District Judge James Dever recently dismissed a federal lawsuit challenging North Carolina's 30-day residency requirement for voters.
Just like in WA, the North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans, working with Dem operative Marc Elias' law firm, had challenged the residency requirement as unconstitutional.
Judge Dever ruled that the retirees alliance lacked standing to file suit, that its claims were not "ripe" for legal action, and that the residency requirement complied with the Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act.
The case is North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans v. Hirsch. Dever’s 34-page order rejected plaintiffs’ arguments on multiple fronts, Dever wrote:
“The Alliance fails to identify any current member of its organization who will be harmed by the 30-day durational residency requirement. None of the Alliance’s ‘approximately 52,000 members across North Carolina’ will be harmed by the requirement that a prospective voter must live in North Carolina for 30 days before an election to vote in North Carolina.”
Thanks so much to the WAGOP for doing this. Let’s hope the state party has the same result as in North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans v. Hirsch.
Democrat blatant lawfare and collusion have abused the courts, undermined the integrity of our election process and our Democracy, and made it impossible to create and maintain accurate voter roll lists! But of course, that is their goal.
Washington State needs an orderly voting registration process, and this lawsuit is a step in the right direction to help us fix our state’s elections.
Bill Bruch
Bill Bruch is the WA State GOP Election Integrity Chairman, WAGOP Executive Board Member, 4-Term Skagit County GOP Chairman, Citizen Journalist, Blogger, Business Owner, “2021 Citizen Activist of the Year” award by the Olympic Conference, 2020 WA State House Representative Candidate, Former Council Member, and WA State 2016 & 2024 RNC National Convention Delegate.
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