State and federal officials are now weighing in on the need for Thurston County to upgrade election security despite the increased funding that will require.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs warned the Board of County Commissioners last week about the increased threats to election systems.
"Not only do election workers need to prepare for cyber-attacks lobbied by both foreign and domestic bad actors, but they also continue to face intimidation, harassment, threats of violence," Hobbs said.
Hobbs appeared at the Aug. 28 meeting at the request of Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall, who's trying to convince the board to fund more security measures at the county's new voter services center in Tumwater. The new center will occupy a building at the county's Mottman Complex, located at the intersection of Ferguson Street Southwest and 29th Avenue.
The county initially hoped to have the project completed in time for the March 2024 presidential primary, but delays have pushed its schedule past the state's August primary. Last month, the board learned the project had a $414,000 budget deficit.
In its current form, the project will cost an estimated $2.6 million, but the board has only set aside about $2.2 million. Assistant County Manager Robin Campbell previously told the board she has "no way to fill this gap at this time."
Still, Hall used the meeting to request putting cut security measures back into the plan. Fulfilling that request would increase the deficit further.
Hall said security measures at the county's election facilities are not adequate and she feels like she's not being taken seriously on the matter. She called on the board to prioritize funding those measures.
"There are a lot of security improvements that need to happen, yet the can keeps getting kicked down the road and it has been for years," Hall said.
Commissioner and Board Chair Carolina Mejia rebuffed Hall's characterizations of the situation. She said the board agreed last month to continue moving forward with the voter services project despite the budget deficit not being addressed yet.
"We're still deciding and so for you to come here and say that the board hasn't been supportive, it's a slap in the face because we've been trying to support you, Auditor Hall," Mejia said.
Security concerns
Hall mentioned a few concerns about the new voter services center during the meeting. She pointed to the strength of the walls for a planned safe room and plans for a vestibule where people can line up before reaching the voter registration counter.
The vestibule was previously planned to be new construction just outside the main building, but cost-cutting measures led planners to move it inside the building.
"The vestibule is a big thing and I know that's a very expensive proposition, but that creates an additional vulnerability," Hall said. "
The Olympian asked Hall to elaborate on her security concerns and to share a security assessment that was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials. She declined, citing state law.
"As much as I believe in total transparency, I am not allowed per RCW (42.56.420) to share the information you requested," Hall said in an email.
Hobbs said the current threat environment is making election workers feel unsafe. This has led to early retirements and resignations as well as recruitment challenges.
"Election administration is a profession," Hobbs said. "It takes time to learn and every time an experienced person leaves, their knowledge and ability goes with them."
As an example of the threats that workers are facing, Hobbs pointed to two incidents that occurred in King and Okanogan counties during the August primary. In both incidents, he said suspicious substances were sent in election ballots.
In the King County incident, officials received a threatening letter, and the substance was confirmed to be fentanyl, said David Elliot, policy director for the Washington Secretary of State. The substance sent to Okanogan County was bicarbonate soda, he said.
Hobbs said that Hall has had her life threatened as well. As someone who listens to classified threat briefings, Hobbs said the threat to Hall and her office's operations is only going to get worse with time.
"The remodel that Thurston County is planning is a great opportunity to improve security as you improve election administration," Hobbs said.
Funding concerns
Mejia said the county has scraped for all the funding it could get for the new voter services center, yet they still don't have enough to fill the budget gap.
"We are just being placed in a very extremely difficult situation," Mejia said. "We might do this, but hey, we might be facing layoffs, too. Election staff, we might be cutting those because we have to fund the building and stuff."
Commissioner Tye Menser said inflation is complicating matters. He said county sales tax revenue is down, property tax increases are capped at 1% annually, and employee union contracts are unresolved.
"We're facing demands for 7-8% cost-of-living increases that will bankrupt this county," Menser said. "Security is not just about what you pack into the walls of the building. It's also about staffing and security on that side."
While the commissioners acknowledged the threats to elections, Mejia voiced her concern about the lack of funding from the state and federal governments.
"I mean you're coming here and telling us we need to have the secure election center, but I'm not seeing the backing of the funding for that," Mejia said. "I'm not seeing it from the state side. I'm not seeing it from the federal side."
Hobbs said he's heard similar complaints from other counties across the state. He said that narrative has started to change in recent years as the state has begun to reimburse counties more and offer more grants, but there's still more work to be done.
"It's not my fault," Hobbs said. "It's not your fault. It's literally extremists who want to undermine this country. It's unfortunate that we're put in this situation."
Jana K. Spring, a protective security adviser for Homeland Security, said the lack of federal funding for counties is not due to a lack of effort.
She said the leaders in the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Republicans, want to cut funding while leaders in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, want to increase funding.
"You've got that dichotomy going on at the same time, and because you have the divisions within the two different branches of the legislature, you are almost at a stalemate," Spring said.
Noé Isaac Cavazos, also a protective security adviser for Homeland Security, said there's a "huge disparity" between smaller counties and urban counties that can afford more security.
"The problem is that those counties, to include (Thurston County), are basically left in the situation where you accept the risk and that acceptance may come with actual lives lost," Cavazos said.
Cavazos said it would be more effective to fund the security upgrades at the county's new voter services center now because it may prove more costly to add the upgrades later.
