Article by Gretchen Chambers

Last month, President Trump declared that mail-in voting “can never be honest” and that he will issue an executive order banning it.  He has not indicated why he believes mail-in voting is inherently corrupt.  He also maintains for unspecified reasons that voting machines are not secure – “voting machines are a complete and total disaster!” 

It needs to be stated that the Constitution grants the states and Congress, not the President, the power to manage elections.  On these grounds, an executive order about voting would be rigorously challenged.

Mail-in voting originated during the Civil War to allow soldiers in the field to vote.  Currently 36 states allow voters to vote by mail without an excuse.  Washington adopted state-wide mail ballots in 2011.  Advantages include boosted turnout, more efficient and affordable election administration, and greater accessibility for overseas voters, seniors, the disabled, and workers with long hours and inflexible schedules.  

Evidence of fraud from mail ballots or voting machines is virtually nonexistent. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has maintained a database of nationwide voter fraud cases since the 1980s and has identified 138 cases of fraud and only a handful involved mail-in ballots. Of noncitizen voting, they have found 68 cases, or less than 0.0001% of over a billion votes cast in 40 years.

Why are our voting systems working so reliably? Here are some factors:  

• Signature verification:  Mailed ballots require a signature that officials compare to the voter’s signature on file.
• Barcode tracking:  Individual barcodes are used on envelopes to prevent duplicate ballots from being counted.
• Paper records:  98% of votes cast in the 2024 election had a voter-verifiable paper record.
• Secure drop boxes:  Many drop boxes are monitored by video.  Our County Auditor, Brian Elliott, is working to expand video monitoring to all Kittitas drop boxes.
• Election Worker Integrity:  Election workers are legally bound to act impartially and prevent fraud.
• Severe penalties:  Tampering with ballots is punishable with jail time up to 5 years and loss of voting rights.  Federal law also criminalizes voter intimidation and coercion.  Voting by non-citizens can lead to deportation. Some county prosecutors issue warning letters for minor violations, such as signing a deceased spouse’s ballot, while others pursue criminal charges.

These measures, the nearly complete lack of evidence of voting fraud, and the fact that both Republican and Democrat Election officials believe in voting by mail and machine counting, make it clear our ballots are very securely representing our votes.  

Take part in our democracy, vote with confidence, and mail in your ballot for the November 4th election!  

This article co-published by Ellensburg Daily Record Newspaper on October 4, 2025. Gretchen Chambers is retired from a varied job career (which included landscaping, health care, and more) and is now working with her husband to thin and protect their 70 acres of forest around their home near Lookout Mountain. She is a member of the Kittitas County League of Women Voters. 

Sources: Bipartisan Policy Center, Pew Research Center, Brennan Center for Justice