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Mark Carney wins new term as Canada's Prime Minister on anti-Trump platform; Without key funding, Alabama faces new barriers to college access; MS could face steep postal privatization costs under Trump-Musk plan; New Hampshire's rail trails ensure accessibility for all.

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Major shifts in environmental protections, immigration enforcement, civil rights as Trump administration reshapes government priorities. Rural residents and advocates for LGBTQ youth say they're worried about losing services.

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Migration to rural America increased for the fourth year, technological gaps handicap rural hospitals and erode patient care, and doctors are needed to keep the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians healthy and align with spiritual principles.

'Curing ballots' affects WA primary

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Tuesday, September 24, 2024   

The results of the recent Washington state primary election proved the effect of a new law for voters "curing" their signatures on ballots.

During the 2024 session, state lawmakers passed legislation to streamline the process for voters to fix, or cure, their ballots if their signatures do not match the ones on record.

The law went into effect in June, ahead of the August primary. It proved especially consequential in the Public Lands Commissioner race, which was decided by a mere 49 votes.

Stuart Holmes, director of elections for the Washington Secretary of State's office, said the system to cure ballots worked effectively.

"There was thousands and thousands of ballots that were initially challenged that were cured by voters through returning the cure form or submitting an alternative identification through these new reforms and every one of those mattered," Holmes explained.

Supporters of the ballot curing law said voters of color and young voters were disproportionately having their ballots rejected because of signature issues. They added the curing notification process needed to be standardized to help fix this issue. The Washington GOP has filed a lawsuit against King County over its use of a system called OmniBallot to validate signatures in a recount of the Public Lands Commissioner race.

Halei Watkins, communications manager for King County Elections, said her office saw a marked improvement in cure rates during the August primary of 69%, compared with a normal rate of about 50%.

She credited the process, which now includes the ability for voters to cure their ballots in many ways, such as with their Social Security numbers, Washington state ID numbers or other documents.

"We saw many, many voters turn to those more simple ways to cure their ballots," Watkins pointed out. "Rather than having to match what they think their signature might look like on their voter registration record, they can provide us with information that they already have and we already have."

Holmes added improving the ballot curing process creates more trust in the election system.

"No matter who it is we're talking to, everybody just wants every valid vote to count," Holmes emphasized. "We want to ensure that there are the proper protections in place to protect the voters and the integrity of the process at the same time."


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