SecState of WA issues rules on ballot accountability and reconciliation

Secretary of State Sam Reed has issued permanent rules to take the place of the emergency rules that took effect last August and required a reconciliation of ballots and voters prior to certifying a county's election returns.

At the same time, Reed issued a permanent rule to define the contents of the ballot accountability form which polling place officers must use immediately after closing the polling places to account for the number of ballots issued -- and to compare that number to the number of signatures in the poll book as required by law.

Since Dean Logan and his gang don't know the law which requires a count of the signatures in the poll book on election night by the precinct officers (or willfully choose to violate that law), some King County residents should send a copy of the new rules to King County's elections office as soon as possible. And follow that up with a daily reminder to Logan and his motley crew that they need to read the law and obey it once in a while.

And, since Bob Terwilliger of Snohomish County runs an elections office which responded to a public records disclosure request by claiming not to know of or be able to find the rules issued by the Secretary of State last August, some Snohomish County residents probably should send a copy of these permanent rules to Terwilliger. There's no telling how long it would take for them to find the rules that govern their jobs on their own.

These new rules take effect March 28, 2005.