Secretary of State addresses concerns regarding third-party canvassers in Washington counties

OLYMPIA — The Office of the Secretary of State received multiple reports of third-party canvassers presenting themselves as elections officials and going door-to-door across Washington asking residents about their voter information and other election-related questions.

These canvassers are not affiliated with and do not represent the Office of the Secretary of State, its Elections division, or any of Washington’s 39 county elections offices.

“I want to assure Washington voters that you are under no obligation to answer any questions from, or disclose information to, an individual or organization you are not comfortable or familiar with,” said Secretary of State Steve Hobbs. “No one from the Office of the Secretary of State or any county elections office knows or will ever ask you how you voted; nor will they visit your home to verify information.”

Each county’s voter rolls are maintained by trained county elections professionals who rely on multiple government sources, including the Departments of Health, Licensing, Corrections, Social Security Administration, and U.S. Postal Service, to verify and keep voters’ information up to date.

Every registered voter has the tools to ensure their voter information is up to date and accurate. Voters can log in to https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx to verify or update their voter registration.

“If you have questions or concerns about your voting status or registration, I encourage you to reach out to your local election official or the Office of the Secretary of State,” Hobbs added.

For local information the Walla Walla County Auditor at https://tinyurl.com/5n74z8yd or Columbia County Auditor at http://www.columbiaco.com/148/Elections.