Election Denial in Washington
0 Election Deniers currently hold statewide office with election oversight power.
1 Election Denier is on the ballot for statewide office.
1 Election Denier has held, or run for, statewide office since 2020.
2 Election Deniers are sitting members of Congress.
The landscape in Washington
It isn’t just elected officials who are harassed and threatened by Election Deniers. It’s everyday citizens who give their time to serve as poll workers and ballot counters.
In Washington State, harassing these workers online is now a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, after a 2022 change to the state’s cyberstalking law. “I thought it was really important to make a statement that we’re not going to tolerate that here in Washington,” one sponsor of the bill told a KING reporter. “That’s not how we do things, and it’s not acceptable.”
No Election Deniers hold statewide office in Washington, but Election Deniers remain a threat. In 2023, a candidate for Elections Director in King County, which includes Seattle, turned election denial into a campaign video. He has also called for full hand counts of ballots, which are impractical, expensive, and prone to errors.
0 Election Deniers hold statewide Office right now.
Elections are run by the states. In Washington, the Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State are the state officials responsible for overseeing elections. It’s up to them to make sure the will of the people is always respected.
Read more about The Roles of Our Elected Officials in Elections
No candidates match the selected filters.
1 Election Denier is on statewide Ballots in races we're tracking.
Washington has a race in 2024 for at least one of the statewide offices that oversee elections. Here are the candidates.
Read more about The Roles of Our Elected Officials in Elections
Running for Governor of Washington
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Falsely claimed former President Trump won the 2020 presidential election instead of the legitimate winner, President Biden.
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Spread lies or promoted conspiracies about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles in public, including in social media, press statements, or comments to the press.
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Refused to certify, or called on or pressured election officials to refuse to certify, the 2020 presidential election results or a race in subsequent elections based on meritless claims about election fraud, voter fraud, misinformation, or lies.
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Taken action to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles, including:
Filing or supporting litigation seeking to overturn the results based on conspiracies or baseless legal theories.
Filing or supporting litigation that was sanctioned for being malicious or without merit in the aftermath of an election.
Promoting or participating in a Stop the Steal–sponsored or branded event or rally during or following the 2020 election.
Calling for a “forensic audit” of the 2020 presidential election or a race in subsequent elections after the results were certified, were officially audited, or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
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Refused to concede a race, or publicly supported a candidate’s refusal to concede a race, after the results were officially audited or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
2 Election Deniers are sitting members of congress right now.
Election Deniers make up 17 percent of Washington’s 12-member Congressional delegation. Members of Congress have a public platform to build up or tear down trust in our elections. And they have concrete responsibilities, too, such as determining federal funding for elections.
Read more about The Roles of Our Elected Officials in Elections
Representative of Washington, District 4
Term started 2023
Term ends 2025
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Taken action to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles, including:
Filing or supporting litigation seeking to overturn the results based on conspiracies or baseless legal theories.
Filing or supporting litigation that was sanctioned for being malicious or without merit in the aftermath of an election.
Promoting or participating in a Stop the Steal–sponsored or branded event or rally during or following the 2020 election.
Calling for a “forensic audit” of the 2020 presidential election or a race in subsequent elections after the results were certified, were officially audited, or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
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Falsely claimed former President Trump won the 2020 presidential election instead of the legitimate winner, President Biden.
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Spread lies or promoted conspiracies about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles in public, including in social media, press statements, or comments to the press.
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Refused to certify, or called on or pressured election officials to refuse to certify, the 2020 presidential election results or a race in subsequent elections based on meritless claims about election fraud, voter fraud, misinformation, or lies.
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Refused to concede a race, or publicly supported a candidate’s refusal to concede a race, after the results were officially audited or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
Representative of Washington, District 5
Term started 2023
Term ends 2025
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Taken action to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles, including:
Filing or supporting litigation seeking to overturn the results based on conspiracies or baseless legal theories.
Filing or supporting litigation that was sanctioned for being malicious or without merit in the aftermath of an election.
Promoting or participating in a Stop the Steal–sponsored or branded event or rally during or following the 2020 election.
Calling for a “forensic audit” of the 2020 presidential election or a race in subsequent elections after the results were certified, were officially audited, or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
-
Falsely claimed former President Trump won the 2020 presidential election instead of the legitimate winner, President Biden.
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Spread lies or promoted conspiracies about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles in public, including in social media, press statements, or comments to the press.
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Refused to certify, or called on or pressured election officials to refuse to certify, the 2020 presidential election results or a race in subsequent elections based on meritless claims about election fraud, voter fraud, misinformation, or lies.
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Refused to concede a race, or publicly supported a candidate’s refusal to concede a race, after the results were officially audited or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
How Washington compares
Every state runs its own elections, with its own laws and processes. Check out how Washington compares with other states in its region when it comes to Election Deniers holding state election administration jobs.
Election Denial in Far West States
| Lieutenant Governor | Moreinformation about Alaska | ||||||
| Moreinformation about California | |||||||
| State Elections Board | Moreinformation about Hawai‘i | ||||||
| Moreinformation about Nevada | |||||||
| Moreinformation about Oregon | |||||||
| Moreinformation about Washington |
Sitting official is an Election Denier
- In Alaska, the chief election official is the Lieutenant Governor, elected alongside the Governor.
- In Hawai'i, the Chief Election Official is appointed by the Hawai'i Elections Commission.
Election Denial in Ongoing Races
0 | 0 State Commissioner of Elections | Moreinformation about Delaware | |||
2 | 1 | 0 | Moreinformation about Indiana | ||
4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Moreinformation about Missouri | |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Montana | |
0 | 0 | Moreinformation about New Hampshire | |||
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 State Elections Board | Moreinformation about North Carolina | |
1 | 0 | Moreinformation about North Dakota | |||
1 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Oregon | ||
0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Pennsylvania | |||
2 | 0 | 0 Lieutenant Governor | Moreinformation about Utah | ||
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Vermont | |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Washington | |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about West Virginia |
States are colored by the number of Election Deniers running for office:
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1
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1 Election Denier has held, or has run for, statewide Office since 2020.
Even one Election Denier with election oversight power is a threat to the will of the people. Here are the Election Deniers who have sought control over Washington elections in recent years.
Ran for Secretary of State of Washington in 2022
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Taken action to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles, including:
Filing or supporting litigation seeking to overturn the results based on conspiracies or baseless legal theories.
Filing or supporting litigation that was sanctioned for being malicious or without merit in the aftermath of an election.
Promoting or participating in a Stop the Steal–sponsored or branded event or rally during or following the 2020 election.
Calling for a “forensic audit” of the 2020 presidential election or a race in subsequent elections after the results were certified, were officially audited, or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
-
Falsely claimed former President Trump won the 2020 presidential election instead of the legitimate winner, President Biden.
-
Spread lies or promoted conspiracies about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles in public, including in social media, press statements, or comments to the press.
-
Refused to certify, or called on or pressured election officials to refuse to certify, the 2020 presidential election results or a race in subsequent elections based on meritless claims about election fraud, voter fraud, misinformation, or lies.
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Refused to concede a race, or publicly supported a candidate’s refusal to concede a race, after the results were officially audited or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
Voter turnout over time
Voters are always the backstop against election denial, whether Election Deniers are already in office or vying for power. It’s important to turn out for every election in your state—and to vote in every race on your ballot. Downballot races, like contests for Attorney General and Secretary of State, have historically drawn fewer voters, even though the positions are critical to keeping elections free, fair, and secure. Here’s a look at voter participation in Washington elections over time. Notice that in years with several important positions up for election, some voters choose not to vote in every race.
Voter Participation in Washington Since 2016
- #071B40
- President
- #2455A0
- Senator
- #4387F1
- Governor
- #A7C5F3
- Attorney General
- #EDF3FD
- Secretary of State
2016 Presidential
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President had a 64% voter turnout rate
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Senator had a 65% voter turnout rate
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Governor had a 65% voter turnout rate
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Attorney General had a 60% voter turnout rate
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Secretary of State had a 63% voter turnout rate
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2018 Midterm
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Senator had a 60% voter turnout rate
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2020 Presidential
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President had a 77% voter turnout rate
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Governor had a 76% voter turnout rate
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Attorney General had a 74% voter turnout rate
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Secretary of State had a 74% voter turnout rate
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2022 Midterm
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Senator had a 56% voter turnout rate
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Secretary of State had a 54% voter turnout rate
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Voter turnout
Data on the number of votes cast in each race are from state elections depositories, supplemented with data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), House Election Statistics, and The Book of States. Rates are calculated using the Census’s Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) estimates.
Beyond the ballot box
Each year, state legislators introduce thousands of bills related to elections. And in the past few years, we’ve identified a concerning trend. Across the country, state legislatures are considering bills that would make it easier for partisan actors to manipulate an election, and maybe even overturn the will of the people. We’re tracking these bills along with our partners in an ongoing series of reports called “A Democracy Crisis in the Making.” All told, in the 2023 legislative cycle, we identified 196 bills that were introduced in 39 states that would interfere with election administration. Ultimately, 21 of those bills became law across 15 states, while 7 bills were vetoed across 2 states.
The anti-democracy playbook is simple: change the rules and change the referees, in order to change the results. These bills go hand-in-hand with the Election Denier movement: They’re about taking power away from voters and making it harder for trusted election officials to do their jobs.
Legislative Interference in Washington by Category
As of November 15, 2023, no bills had been introduced or were under consideration in Washington. None have been enacted or adopted and none have been vetoed after passing.
- Usurping control over election results.These bills would give legislators or other state officials direct control over election outcomes.
- Requiring partisan or unprofessional election “audits” or reviews.These bills would establish vague post-election review schemes without the professional standards of traditional audits.
- Seizing power over election responsibilities.These bills would shift election administration responsibilities away from professional, nonpartisan officials and toward partisan actors in the legislature.
- Creating unworkable burdens in election administration.These bills would interfere with the basic procedures of election administration, increasing the risk of chaos and delay and enabling misleading claims of irregularity.
- Imposing disproportionate criminal or other penalties.These bills would create or expand penalties for election officials in the ordinary execution of their jobs, including criminalizing inadvertent mistakes.