Olympia, Thurston County, Washington: Secretary of State Hobbs Rejects DOJ Ballot Request on October 28, Calling List of About 400 Voters 'Deeply Flawed' and 'Not Reliable,' with U.S. Citizens Included
In Olympia, Thurston County, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs responded on October 28 to a U.S. Department of Justice request, refusing to set aside the ballots of about 400 voters as requested and calling the DOJ-provided list 'deeply flawed' and 'not reliable,' noting that it includes United States citizens. The Justice Department had said that, based on citizenship checks, about 400 people 'appear to be illegally registered to vote,' and asked the state to set those ballots aside until citizenship and eligibility are confirmed. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Neil Floyd called the list 'only the tip of the iceberg' and said the department will continue to investigate. In his October 28 letter to the DOJ, Hobbs noted that the department provided only a PDF document and a printed spreadsheet rather than electronic data, making verification difficult; he also pointed out that the DOJ letter misstated Election Day as November 2, 2026, when the actual date is November 3, indicating the request was rushed. Hobbs said he was 'profoundly disappointed' by the timing of the request, about a week before Election Day. Meanwhile, a similar DOJ request in California, involving about 20,000 ballots, was rejected by a federal judge on October 28. Millions of Washington voters have already cast ballots for the November 3 general election.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：奥林匹亚旧州议会大厦与西尔维斯特公园，Wikimedia Commons文件File:Olympia, WA — Old Capitol Building and Sylvester Park.jpg，摄影Steven Pavlov（署名要求：© Steven Pavlov）（Wikimedia Commons，授权 CC BY-SA 4.0，作者 Steven Pavlov）
