Thank you for your e-mail about the Washington governor's race. Like you, I am very frustrated with the inconsistencies and mistakes we've seen in this election. Votes in some counties were given more weight than others, ballots were lost, found and enhanced, and -- perhaps worst of all -- many members of our military serving oversees received their ballots too late to be counted.
While we as lawmakers can fix many of these problems for the future, we cannot change the fact that we will really never be able to accurately determine who really won this election. Not only could this problem-plagued process harm a new governor's ability to lead, it has seriously undermined many people's confidence in our electoral process.
As your legislator, here is what I can do to help bring some fairness to this race and restore confidence in its outcome. On Jan. 11, the Legislature will be asked to ratify the results of the Nov. 2004 election. If these troubling issues stand unresolved on that day, I believe it would be wise to defer ratification of the governor's race. That would then clear the way to conduct a new election as soon as possible.
These are serious actions that the Legislature should not take lightly. But this is a very serious issue, and one that has caused many people to question the legitimacy of our voting system. Under the circumstances, a new election seems to be the only way to ensure a credible outcome of this race and restore confidence with citizens.
Please keep in mind that Democrats will be under tremendous pressure to vote against such a move. Since that party currently controls both the state House of Representatives and the Senate, it may be very difficult to deny ratification and get a new election. Tremendous public outpouring of support for the idea of a re-vote, however, could make the difference.
Thank you again for your message. I encourage you to stay involved with this issue. As a citizen, you can contact other lawmakers, write letters to the editor, and make your voice heard. I am aware that there is a petition going around, if you are interested. The address is: www.revotewa.com.
Please contact me if I can be of further assistance to you this legislative session. I appreciate your feedback.
CARY CONDOTTA 12th District Representative P.O. Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7954
Thanks for the reply.