WA Democrats urge courts to dismiss election suits
EVERETT, Washington (AP) – Residents suing Snohomish County Auditor for alleged but undocumented “electronic manipulation” of ballot papers in search of a 2020 election review could compete with state Democratic Party attorneys.
State party lawyers on Wednesday filed motions to intervene in lawsuits filed by Republican voters in eight counties, including Snohomish, King, Pierce, Thurston, Clark, Whatcom, Lincoln and Franklin, The Daily Herald reported. They want all cases to be kicked out.
“This lawsuit is completely unfounded and appears to be little more than a coordinated political assault on the integrity of the Washington elections,” wrote Democratic attorneys in a motion in the Snohomish County case. “Plaintiffs stand before the court with nothing but speculation fueled by conspiracy theories, demanding breathtaking and totally unjustified ‘relief.'”
The lead plaintiff in all lawsuits is the Washington Election Integrity Coalition United, whose leader Tamborine Borrelli of Gig Harbor toured the state looking for residents willing to participate.
The original lawsuits allege that accountants used uncertified voting machines and rigged thousands of ballot papers in an unspecified nationwide race. Each lawsuit seeks a “full forensic examination,” conducted in the same manner as one in Arizona that found no evidence of fraud.
So far, Snohomish and Pierce counties lawyers have taken action to bring their cases to federal court.
US District Court Judge Richard Jones told the Electoral Integrity Coalition that it cannot appear per se and that it must seek a lawyer by November 1st. Borrelli said in an email that the group wanted these cases – and any others that end up in federal court – to be placed in pre-trial detention in the upper court.
She described the actions of the Democratic Party lawyers as “nothing more than a move in power by the political elite to meddle in cases filed by Washington voters to fix the problems in our electoral system.”
Republican Foreign Secretary Kim Wyman previously said this type of fraud allegation is the new reality and that no one is discussing the extensive audit trail created by local auditors.