WASHINGTON – Following the news that the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Washington State Republican Party (WSRP) have filed a joint intervention to defend signature verification, Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Chairman Caleb Heimlich released the following statements:
“The RNC is intervening in this case because basic election safeguards matter – especially in Democrat-run states where few guardrails remain. This legal action alongside the Washington State GOP underscores the RNC’s commitment to fighting for election integrity in every corner of America and doing so alongside state parties and grassroots leaders. We are proud to work with Chairman Caleb Heimlich as we fight to protect a crucial integrity procedure in Washington State elections.” – RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel
“Democrats have spent years undermining any semblance of election integrity in our state and this latest attack on Washington’s elections by elitist Seattle Democrats is all-to-familiar. As a vote-by-mail state, signature verification is essentially the only safeguard we have left to promote basic security in our election process. Under Chairwoman McDaniel’s leadership, the Republican Party has displayed a comprehensive commitment to securing elections nationwide: today’s legal action in our state is just the latest example.” – WSRP Chairman Caleb Heimlich WSRP Chairman Caleb Heimlich
Background:
- The Republican National Committee (RNC) and Washington State Republican Party (WSRP) have joined a lawsuit to defend the integrity of Washington State’s universal vote-by-mail system under attack by liberal dark money groups. These groups have sued to eliminate the state’s mail ballot signature verification processes which ensure officials can determine the identity of voters returning mail-in ballots.
- Washington State enacted legislation in 2005 that allowed all counties to utilize all-mail elections and that system was made mandatory across the state in 2011.
- Signature verification was then and now cited as a safeguard for why Washington State’s voters should have trust and confidence in all-mail elections.
- Kim Wyman, Washington’s former Secretary of State and current Biden administration election security official, touted Washington’s universal vote-by-mail system, specifically citing to signature verification as the “linchpin” of Washington’s election security.
- Now plaintiffs represented by left-wing law firm Perkins Coie, who has regularly attacked vote-by-mail safeguards around the country, want to do away with signature matching in a state where it was pioneered and has worked successfully. It has also filed a similar lawsuit in all vote-by-mail Colorado.
- Perkins Coie claims signature matching systemically disenfranchises voters, but its claims are baseless. Officials initially rejected only .72% of ballots (30,000 out of about 4.2 million cast) in the 2020 election because of signature issues. Thousands of those ballots were ultimately counted under the state’s generous curing procedure which requires officials to notify voters of the issues and gives them 21 days from election day to fix the issue.
- The RNC is engaged in litigation around the country to preserve and promote the integrity of our nation’s elections, including its mail voting procedures. The RNC’s intervention in this lawsuit demonstrates that it will litigate in blue, red, and purple states to defend the integrity of our nation’s elections. It is proud to join the WSRP in this important litigation.
