YAKIMA COUNTY, Wash.- The lawsuit filed in 2021 claiming Benton, Chelan and Yakima counties ballots were unfairly rejected due to signature mismatches has been resolved.
Yakima County agreed to a settlement that will dismiss the case with terms in place to avoid future issues. Benton and Chelan Counties settled in October.
The lawsuit claims the three counties rejected over 4,500 votes from Latino voters because the signature did not match the one on record. It reports 74% of rejected ballots were because of signatures.
Latino voters from Yakima County were rejected 3.9 times more often than other ballots for signatures. The lawsuit was filed by a resident of Benton County with the support of the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Latino Community Fund of Washington.
The final agreement includes seven conditions the Yakima County Auditor’s Office will have to follow to dismiss the case.
The Auditor’s Office staff will have to go undergo training for signature verification and cultural competency training every two years, with training required before employees can be a part of the signature verification process.
Ballot materials will also require language describing the verification and cure process. Yakima County Auditor Charles Ross says most of the provisions are already being met within the county.
When a signature is not verified, the settlement requires the update form to include the phrase:
“We want to make sure we count your vote. We received your ballot and determined that the signature does not match the signature on the registration file. Please complete and return this form to update your signature on file with the County.”
Yakima County has also paid a fee of $75,000 to the plaintiffs for legal fees.
“Yakima County Elections are administered to the highest standards and follows election laws to the letter,” says Ross in a statement. “I believe the complaints made against us were meritless and impossible to prove. Yakima County settled this suit purely from a business perspective. I did not feel it was prudent to continue spending money to prove a point that we believe was obvious. We follow the law.”
The case was dismissed with prejudice, which means the decision is final and cannot be filed again. Any necessary changes from the settlement will be in place within the Auditor’s Office in time for the 2024
