In Washington state, there is a presumptive right to vote, which means anyone registering to vote need only provide a driver’s license or identification and affirm that they are a citizen legally allowed to participate in elections
TJ Martinell
The Center Square Washington
A recent Secretary of State’s Office investigation of a foreign national being registered to vote by the state underscores what some, including at least one state Department of Licensing employee, consider to be a defect in the state’s election system security.
In Washington state, there is a presumptive right to vote, which means anyone registering to vote need only provide a driver’s license or identification and affirm that they are a citizen legally allowed to participate in elections. No proof of citizenship is required to be provided in order to receive a ballot.
According to emails obtained by The Center Square, SOS Director of Elections Stuart Holmes contacted DOL officials in August to alert them that a foreign national had been registered to vote in Colville by DOL in January while getting a driver’s license replaced.
“We would also like to identify any possible solutions to prevent this from happening in the future that can be deployed at your agency or at the OSOS,” Holmes wrote in his email.
According to DOL emails, the foreign national was a permanent resident with a Social Security number who first obtained a driver’s license in 2021, but had previously marked “no” for their voter registration.
The DOL employee who registered the foreign national wrote in an email that “the customer came in to replace their drivers license and did not provide any additional identification or documentation. I went through the application and ask(ed) the voter registration, had them read the voter’s oath and sign the application. I was not aware they were not a citizen as it was just a replacement application and only photo verification was required.”
In one email, a DOL official weighed in on the incident by writing “this goes back to not being able to verify citizenship on renewals and duplicates because documents are not required.”
Previous investigations by The Center Square has uncovered incidents of foreign nationals either being registered to vote or voting illegally, which U.K.-based Logically AI flagged as part of a SOS Election Misinformation program.
In its report, Logically AI warned that the coverage could “increase claims of voter fraud and motivate individuals to call on election officials to implement citizenship verification procedures for voter registration in Washington State.”
This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.
Also read:
- Opinion: Washington passed an income tax to fund education, then the same majority cut education — and left $700+ million on the table
State officials passed a new income tax to fund education, then approved over $1 billion in cuts—while forgoing $700 million in annual federal scholarships students could have received. - Opinion: ‘Washington’s majority party is panicking’
Nancy Churchill argues that controversial state policies, including new taxes, law enforcement changes, and agency power grabs, are generating a wave of backlash in communities across Washington. - Letter: ‘Now we have Engineer Bob telling us the I-5 Bridge needs replacing because it is built on shifting sand with wooden structures’
Amboy resident Thomas Schenk critiques Democrat leadership, tax policies, and the addition of light rail to the I-5 Bridge, while urging Republican voters to participate more in midterm elections. - The I-5 Bridge is vulnerable to collapse, but apparently not that vulnerable
State leaders and Vancouver’s mayor warn about bridge safety, but insist it’s safe enough for daily use as they focus on moving forward with a costly replacement including light rail—despite decades of public resistance. - Opinion: ‘This is not the best and most efficient use of the taxpayers’ funds’
Ken Vance critiques the announced $14.4 billion I-5 Bridge replacement, questioning funding gaps, the insistence on light rail, unaddressed congestion, and transparency from state officials.
