Robert Schmad
The Washington state Democratic Party is calling on its supporters to “report” individuals collecting signatures for ballot initiatives by calling a hotline.
The hotline prompts callers to provide as “much detail as possible, including the location, time of day, a description of the circulator and any other relevant details,” when reporting people collecting signatures for ballot initiatives, the Daily Caller News Foundation found. The ballot initiatives targeted by Washington Democrats are aimed at lowering gas prices, cutting taxes, allowing people to opt out of government insurance, expanding the criteria allowing police officers to chase suspected criminals on the road and establishing a parental right to review school curriculums.
Washington state has the third highest gas prices in the nation, according to AAA, and police officers in the state are only allowed to chase suspected criminals under certain conditions. Public schools in Seattle, meanwhile, offer students “gender affirming care” and conceal transgender identification from parents.
“The WA Democrats’ childish efforts are impotent and comical,” Washington GOP Chairman Jim Walsh told the DCNF.
“This is a monument to left-wing hypocrisy, and it echoes the East German Stasi from the Cold War days. It encourages citizens to snitch on each other. It is divisive and decadent. And it suppresses voter participation in democracy—all the things the Left accuses others of doing.”
The Washington Office of the Secretary of State, the entity that oversees elections, has previously warned against interfering in the ballot initiative process.
“State law protects voters’ rights to participate in the signature-gathering process for ballot proposals, including initiatives and referenda,” a statement from the Secretary of State’s office reads. “Interfering with this process is a gross misdemeanor.”
The Washington Secretary of State’s office referred the DCNF to a letter released by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs in July stating that “every Washington voter has the right to participate, organize, and make their voice heard without interference or intimidation.”
“While my office has a broad range of administrative authority over Washington’s elections process … these powers do not include jurisdiction to conduct an investigation or initiate criminal proceedings,” the letter continued.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington is also encouraging its supporters to call the hotline and report people gathering signatures.
“The extreme Washington GOP is teaming up with the mega-rich to pass a set of ballot initiatives that would hurt working Washingtonians,” the Washington Democrats said of the ballot initiative signature drives.
“The right wing is doing this because they’re deeply unpopular in WA and can’t win elections,” the party continued.
The Washington Democrats did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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