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Posted on 04/17/2026 7:37:47 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie
A box containing roughly 500 ballots from recent elections was discovered near a dumpster behind a Renton strip mall, raising concerns among state lawmakers and others about potential vulnerabilities in the state’s mail-in voting system.
Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen and chair of the Washington State Republican Party, said the ballots appeared to have been mailed to voters but were never delivered or returned.
While most were destined for King County voters, there are other ballots for people in Snohomish and Pierce counties.
A man in Renton found the ballots in February, and they were stacked inside a box on the ground behind a strip mall, according to Walsh.
A box of about 500 ballots that Washington GOP Chair Jim Walsh claims were turned over after being found behind a Renton strip mall. Election officials said an investigation is underway. (KOMO) A box of about 500 ballots that Washington GOP Chair Jim Walsh claims were turned over after being found behind a Renton strip mall. Election officials said an investigation is underway. (KOMO)
The ballots, spanning election cycles from 2022 through 2025, were largely unopened and included many from the 2024 general election.
Walsh said he opened a small number of envelopes to confirm they contained ballots, which he described as blank. He said the discovery highlights what he described as potentially serious flaws in the state’s vote-by-mail system.
“We can't be sure, really, of the path that any of these ballots took, and this gets to the real issue that this box of ballots illustrates,” Walsh said. “The broken chain of custody is the problem. We can't measure the path that these took. We don't know exactly what happened."
Ballots are mailed based on voter registration lists, which Walsh said can create gaps in accountability as they move through the mail system.
The handling of ballots outside official channels could present risks, Walsh said, though he stopped short of alleging wrongdoing.
“Opening for fraud is the right way to put it,” Walsh said. “This is not a smoking gun that fraud occurred, but in this kind of situation, it’s an invitation to fraud.”
Walsh said someone could potentially use information on ballot envelopes to request replacement ballots, though doing so would be illegal.
The man who found the ballots said he contacted King County Elections, the Washington Secretary of State’s Office, and a congressional office, but received little or no response before ultimately turning the ballots over to Walsh on Thursday.
A spokesperson for King County Elections said they had no record of being contacted about the issue and would have asked for the ballots to be returned for investigation. The office said it has since referred the matter to law enforcement, the U.S. Postal Service, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
State election officials emphasized that safeguards are in place to prevent fraudulent voting. Ballots are verified through signature matching, and voters who do not receive a ballot can request a replacement.
“If and when they return that ballot, we compare the signature on the return envelope with the signature on the voter’s registration record,” King County Elections said in a statement, adding that voters are contacted if there is a mismatch.
A spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office said officials are working with King County to investigate and noted they also have no record of the situation being reported through official channels.
“If a person finds undelivered mail that has been improperly disposed of, there are several steps they should take to ensure it is fully investigated. Posting a video on social media is not one of them,” Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said in a statement. “Washington elections are safe and secure. We check the signature on every ballot to determine that the ballot sent to a voter was signed and returned by that voter.”
Election officials note that multiple safeguards, including signature verification and voter outreach, are designed to prevent such activity.
Walsh said his team plans to go through the envelopes to review voter information and attempt to determine what happened to the ballots.
“We’re going to scan those and do some kind of forensic check on what happened to that person,” he said.
In some cases, Walsh said preliminary checks suggest voters associated with the ballots may have successfully cast votes, possibly using replacement ballots.
The discovery comes as the state Republican Party promotes Initiative IP26-500, a proposed measure that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. Supporters say it could help maintain more accurate voter rolls, though it does not directly address ballot handling.
Walsh said the situation underscores the need for stronger controls.
“We need to have someone responsible for a ballot at every stage of its delivery,” he said, “and right now we don’t.”
State officials, however, maintain that Washington’s vote-by-mail system remains secure, citing verification processes and the rarity of confirmed fraud cases.
The investigation into how the ballots ended up at the Renton location is ongoing.
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The concept of Chain of Custody seems to be ignored almost everywhere. It’s supposed to matter, but ballots come and go and no one really pays any attention to how that works itself out.
Hey, they were blank......
We need to have someone responsible for a ballot at every stage of its delivery,” he said, “and right now we don’t.”
Yeah...how about the VOTER! NO mail ballots, drop boxes, etc. But, really, every voter should have to Re-register every 4 years!
It would be easy to “misplace” then dump a bunch of ballots addressed to heavily Republican areas.
In Ohio it is tough to get away with fraud.. Must have photo ID must have citizen papers... just say’n.....
These were meant to be emergency ballots. You are 200 votes down? Around 3:00 am on election night, you bring out the emergency ballots and cast them to get you over the top. You don’t need the votes? Into the dumpster they go…
You do have a point.Nn insurance now, no help for the end result so we watch what happens...
No sich thang as an honest Election on the Left Coast especially around PeeYewgit Sound.
Must be nice...left coast is run by demcommies...and by fraud.
I believe it. It’s how the demoncRATS have ruled the state. It’s known for its cheating capabilities. Bleah!
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