BELLINGHAM — If you’re a U.S. citizen who’s at least 18 years old, living in Washington, and haven’t been ruled ineligible by a court order, total confinement sentence or federal or out-of-state conviction, you have the right to vote. But can election officials ever remove you from the ballot box?
State law prohibits several actions that are otherwise legal when they’re done in or around voting centers, authorizing law enforcement officers to arrest you for some. Here’s the complete list.
Electioneering, petitions, more are prohibited
There are five actions that state law explicitly bans in or around a voting center, student engagement hub or ballot drop box.
You cannot:
- Attempt to convince someone else how to vote
- Distribute cards or handbills
- Solicit signatures for a petition
- Block access to a voting center or a ballot box
- Do anything that’s deemed to be interfering with the voting process for others
These laws apply within 100 feet of a voting center or student engagement hub, and 25 feet of a ballot box, in 18 days leading up to an election, as well as on election day.
If you think you can get around these rules by using a bullhorn or microphone from just outside of the restricted area, you’re wrong. The law specifies that, even if you’re more than 100 feet away from a voting center and 25 feet away from a ballot box, you can’t use any form of electronic amplification to sway someone’s vote, solicit signatures or interfere with the election in any way, as long as you can be heard within the specified distance limits.
Can you get arrested at a polling place?
What happens if you break the rules and get caught? The law instructs law enforcement to stop, and even potentially arrest, the offender.
Any violation is considered a gross misdemeanor. Under state law, gross misdemeanors are punishable by up to 364 days in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or a combination of the two.
What can political party officials do at a polling place?
The restrictions on attempting to influence how someone votes could create a gray area when it comes to political party representatives observing the election to ensure that it’s run properly and fairly, depending on how you interpret it. To clear up any confusion, the law specifies that “nothing in this section may be construed to limit or otherwise restrict the access of” a party representative charged with observing the election process.
