Clark County Prosecuting Attorney Tony Golik declines to explain the decision of his office, citing related current case
Ken Vance, editor
Clark County Today
The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has decided not to file any criminal charges against an area resident, despite her admission to multiple instances of illegal voting.
An investigation by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) into Alexandrea Batman’s voting history revealed that she, a non-U.S. citizen, had registered to vote in Clark County in May 2000. The investigation was conducted by Det. Adam Beck and completed on Feb. 19, 2020. It revealed that over the years, Batman participated in 29 elections, including five instances since November 2015, despite not meeting the legal citizenship requirements for voting in U.S. elections.
This case, highlighting a significant breach of election law, constitutes a violation of RCW 29A.84.660, which deals with Unqualified Persons Voting, a Class C Felony in Washington state. Each unauthorized vote by Batman represents a distinct felony offense under this statute.
Batman openly admitted to these violations during the investigation. She acknowledged that she had read and signed the voter registration form, which clearly stated the requirement of U.S. citizenship for voting eligibility. Despite her lack of citizenship, she proceeded to vote in numerous elections over nearly two decades. She told a Clark County voting official she was not worried about getting into trouble.
The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, after reviewing the case, opted not to pursue criminal charges against Batman, even though the investigation revealed she had voted illegally 29 times, including five times since November 2015. Therefore, the investigation revealed there was probable cause to charge Batman with five counts of the Class C Felony. It would seem this decision is sure to lead to public outcry and demands for a transparent explanation from the prosecutors.
When reached by Clark County Today, Clark County Prosecuting Attorney declined to comment on the decision not to charge Batman, citing similarities to the current case the office is pursuing against legislative candidate John Ley.
“This is clearly related to litigation in another pending case (Ley), because of that, I’m not going to talk about the facts in this one (Batman),’’ Golik said by phone. “When that other pending case (Ley) is over I will be able to talk freely about this case (Batman) but since it’s clearly related to another pending case, I will decline to talk about this case today because of my standard obligation not to get into details of a pending case.’’
Ley was charged with allegedly registering to vote and as a candidate in an incorrect voter district. Ley was a Republican candidate for Washington state’s 18th Legislative District state representative Position No. 2 in 2022. Golik is a Democrat.
“The absence of criminal charges in such a clear-cut case (Batman) of repeated election law violations raises concerns about the equitable application of justice,’’ said Vancouver attorney Angus Lee, who is representing Ley. “Critics argue that this decision sets a concerning precedent and undermines the integrity of the electoral process. The Batman case stands as a stark example of the complexities and potential inconsistencies in prosecutorial discretion, highlighting a growing debate over the fairness and accountability within the legal system.’’
Lee has filed a number of motions in the Ley case, including a motion to dismiss. A hearing held in Clark County Superior Court on Jan. 9 featured some compelling comments from Judge John Fairgrieve, who essentially admonished the prosecution for its lack of preparedness and investigation that led to the charges against Ley.
Judge Fairgrieve, a former chief deputy prosecutor for Clark County, expressed concerns during the hearing about the completeness of the investigation, and noted the infrequency of such charges being brought and the challenges it presents. “These types of charges are very infrequent. First time I’ve actually seen these types of charges,” Fairgrieve stated. The judge acknowledged the unusual nature of the case and the unfamiliarity of law enforcement officers in investigating such matters, suggesting that this might have contributed to the oversight in the collection of evidence.
The next hearing in the Ley case is scheduled for Feb. 15.
The revelation of the Batman case would seem to increase the scrutiny on the decision of the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to pursue charges against Ley.
In a letter dated Jan. 2, 2024 from Clark County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Michael Vaughn, Batman was informed she would not be charged if she agreed to plead “Committed” to the infraction of Recklessly and Negligently Repeat Voting.
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tony, tony, tony… a non-citizen voting time and time again gets a ‘pass’, but a white-guy who is educated and articulate but who, on occasion, rocks-the-boat gets charged. “Not gonna talk about it”… says tony.
tony, tony, tony… wasn’t it you who let the three Sheriff Deputies walk when they fired multiple rounds into the back of a fleeing drug dealer selling a few dollars worth of anti-anxiety pills? The three “judges, juries, and executioners” all walked free.
tony, tony, tony… wasn’t it you who let the Sheriff Deputy walk after he mistakenly fired his weapon approx. 5 seconds after arriving at a home invasion, killing the wrong guy, and who admitted he screwed up and didn’t properly identify his target?
Elections have consequences. I sure as heck know who I will NOT vote for next time.
Did you not know, or did you intentionally leave out the fact that this fleeing drug dealer was armed with a handgun, running towards deputies?
Another example that we need reforms in our Clark County Elections Dept (and PA’s office too). Makes sense why the Tony’s office broke the law to attempt to stop the Restore Election Confidence Initiative. They want illegitimate ballots going out and in to be counted. Find the REC Initiative and sign today. http://www.restorevotes.com
This sends the wrong message to illegal voters.
Maybe Golik is trying to line up some illegal votes for the next time he runs.
This is just the most egregious of the cases that they have declined to prosecute going back nearly 25 years. There is a current case where a woman allegedly tried to vote her deceased mother’s ballot in Clark County while living and voting in Portland. The list goes on and on. Voter Fraud is treated similarly to jay walking in Clark County. It is extremely frustrating to those of us who value fair and free elections. Thank goodness that the elections staff catches some of these through signature verification. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of cases each election where signatures do not match and the reason is unknown.
Weak men make for hard times. Though this case is not life or death, it still shows you the cowardice of this weak man, Tony Golik. He’s a feckless buffoon and the citizens of Clark County need to replace him!
Tony Golik’s decision not to file criminal charges and then not to explain his decision is a “slap in the face” to those voters who put him in office. Tony has damaged the credibility of his office to bring justice to the people of Clark County. This means that during the next election when he wants to continue his “throne” we will vote for a change. Elections of integrity are the bedrock of our Constitutional Republic, voting for people of solid character and integrity. Tony has failed this test on this criminal act with willful intent.
Do we have to wait for the next election? can’t he be recalled?
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) has filed mortgage forms listing his primary residence as a home in Maryland despite saying in campaign materials from 2010-2014 that he is raising his family in Burbank, California.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) lives in New York City, where his wife, and 3 children, Strand bookstore heir Nancy Bass Wyden, who owns a classic Manhattan rowhouse.
John Ley, not an elected official, was in violation of the law. John, shame on you!!!! If you’d only voted illegally……
“The next hearing in the Ley case is scheduled for Feb. 15.”
It’s not clear that Ley was in violation of any laws, and as the article points out, the case has not been ruled on yet. In a similar case, Don Orange owned a house outside the Port of Vancouver District and rented an apartment inside the port district in order to run for Vancouver Port Commissioner. A challenge was officially filed about it, and no charges were leveled against Orange, a liberal candidate.
https://shiftwa.org/who-is-don-orange/
I’m sorry, but how did this happen? Why didn’t the auditor’s office catch this illegal vote? Seems like we should have an outside audit done.
The auditor’s office refers any suspected voter fraud to the PA’s office for potential prosecution. The PA does not investigate unless a case is referred to them.
Aren’t you an elected official in Battle Ground? If so, I am a bit appalled at your lack of understanding of how local government works.
The crazy part is that it wasn’t the election procedures that caught it but when the voter called and inadvertently informed the staff is when the case was forwarded to the PA
So, when is Tony Golik up for re-election??? Asking for a friend 😉
Per the Clark Co. website, his term is 2023-2026.
Far too may questionable decisions have been made by this man and his staff. He is no longer viewed as part of the solution; he’s actually part of the problem. It’s time for new blood in the Prosecuting Attorney office.
Susan, Thank you so much, I appreciate you! Criminals have no fear of our law enforcement because their hands have been tied, the laws of our nation or anything else. How do you come to a country, break the law but have no fear of being held to account. Is there no end to all this madness, chaos, violence, etc? Well, I had a cup of old fashioned hot chocolate like grandmothers use to make so I feel better now! Again, thanks for the info and I need to start going through that website a little slower because I miss some things.
You see this happen across the country and you always hold on to hope that your local people are just and law abiding. It appears our local liberal prosecutor is just as bad as other states. Refusing to prosecute the person for being illegally in the country and illegally voting. D.E.I. at its best.
I’m not sure the offender is an illegal alien. The offender could be here legally, holding a “green card” which is legal permanent resident. However, if a green card holder, the voting in violation of the law is likely grounds for revocation of the green card. But I’m not holding my breath for that to happen; heck, there’s upwards of 10,000 illegals flooding across the southern border every day (courtesy of sleepy joe and democ-rats). To send one long-term legal resident back to their motherland?…. it ain’t gonna happen.
Mike, you really are deceived if you don’t realize certain things! You think these things just started happening or that democrats are the problem. OPEN YOUR EYES!! Whether dems or repugs, none really serve to better the country. Just look at both sides, Bo Bert, IL Han, Marg Green, Haw Lee, Van Ce, Gray Ham, Mack Con-nell, etc just to name a few (censors?). They need stripper poles so that the $1 bills can rain down. They only care about enriching themselves, family & friends in perpetuity and selling favors to the highest bidder. Goodness, they voted in Sandy Tos! Also, certain foreign nations don’t allow you to buy up their country. How many decades has this been going on here? Who owns Smithfield (ham anyone) and thousands upon thousands of acres of land in this country? Someone had to help facilitate those transactions. Problems at the border for decades, but keeping us divided and fighting against each other means we won’t notice! And this generation of tiktokkers, are w/o thinking skills. Where did tiktok come from? Same w/ the big truck guys flying huge flags that they don’t even respect. When I see them, I know all I need to know about them. So how far shall I go w/ this? Surely you are an intelligent person and already realize this!
What “other” laws does Tony not plan to enforce? With Thousands of illegals pouring into America daily will Vancouver become the next safe haven City?
A bigger question is, “Why didn’t the County Auditor catch that someone not authorized to vote is voting?”. I thought he said our elections are 100% perfect. We are getting reports that the people coming across the border are instructed to vote for Joe Biden, so this story becomes a foretaste of what our Auditor & AG could be gearing up to protect (illegal voting). Our vote and our voice are constantly under attack.
As for this dereliction of duty by the PA, it is unsurprising (and consistent) that our lead attorney does not follow election laws.