(The Center Square) – Let’s Go Washington, the conservative political action committee behind two new initiative campaigns, says signature gatherers had petitions stolen and were intimidated and threatened in three separate incidents on Monday.
“We’ve only been gathering for two days, and this all happened within the last day,” LGW Communications Manager Hallie Balch told The Center Square on Tuesday.
As previously reported, one of the new initiatives concerns parental rights, and the other concerns protecting girls in sports.
LGW Founder Brian Heywood posted on X: “Intimidation! Vandalism! Violent threats! & Theft— tools being used right now in WA state to block you from having a voice.”
Heywood details the three incidents in his social media post:
“1) Clark County – a store manager that allows other groups to collect signature or promote items has come out and tried to blockade signature gathers with shopping carts then spending significant time actively discouraging shoppers from signing— are they reporting their “no”-campaign activities to the PDC ? There are rules about reporting paid employees conducting political activities opposing an initiative or candidate
“2) Tacoma – a bully pretending to sign the initiatives took a pen and scribbled all over the page of several filled out sheets trying to invalidate the signatures — When the signature gatherer protested, the scribbler’s accomplice apparently threatened the signature gatherer with a beating if she wasn’t on the Walmart property….
“3) Bonney Lake – Brazen thieves ran up to the table grabbed 8 sheets of completed signatures and then ran off into the woods. The store manager cooperated and shared the store videos of the incident and I am told the police are now involved.”
“People are coming and stealing petitions that have full sheets of signatures on them. They are intimidating people; they are threatening them. One lady was called a certain expletive that is used for women and was told that she would have her butt beat if she weren’t posted outside of Walmart,” Balch said. “And the last one was at the Fred Meyer in Vancouver, where the store manager was telling people not to sign the initiatives, and she put a blockade of carts in front of the table.”
Balch explained that the person gathering signatures had permission from the store owner to set up outside, but the manager had a problem.
“We know that there are people [who] don’t agree with us. But given the political climate that we’re in right now and given the fact that these are real human beings that are just out there trying to gather signatures for families and for female athletes, this is incredibly disturbing to hear about these things,” she continued.
Balch said LGW is working with local law enforcement to pursue the people who threatened and stole from signature gatherers.
“And we’re calling on the attorney general, secretary of state, the governor, anybody that wants to get involved for democracy’s sake to protect voters… We’re ready to involve them in this fight,” she said.
The Center Square emailed the Office of the Secretary of State and the Governor’s Office, but did not receive a response.
Balch said they also received no response from those offices and called that “extremely disappointing.”
“Just give us the illusion of upholding democracy or making voters feel safe in an incredibly contentious time,” she said.
She explained that the public response on Tuesday, since word of the attacks got out, has been overwhelming.
“We’re getting all these people [who] are saying just send it to me and I’ll collect signatures on my own. We’re going to get these signatures no matter what they try to throw at us,” Balch said
Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh told The Center Square that the disruptions appear to be coordinated.
“The disruptors follow consistent behavior patterns,” said Walsh, who also serves in the state House of Representatives. “They pretend to be interested in signing petitions, ask the signature gatherers personal questions, then use that information in their illegal disruption and interference. Those aren’t the traits of grassroots amateurs. They are the characteristics of professional agitators.”
Balch LGW is also concerned about private information on the petitions.
“All your personal information is now accessible to the people [who] stole it. So, best case scenario: They just destroy it, and we lose out on those signatures. Whatever. We’ll get more,” she said. “Worst case scenario: They hunt these people down and say, ‘I have got a problem with how you’re voting.’” Like that’s crazy. That is not democracy.”
Washington Secretary of State Director of External Affairs Charlie Boisner told The Center Square that Washington has laws to protect voters’ rights and the signature-gathering process.
“Any type of interference with that process is a gross misdemeanor, and so we firmly stand by the fact and truly believe that all voters must be able to take part in that democratic process without fear of intimidation or disenfranchisement,” he said. “And we really encourage folks if they witness a potential violation of that law of those protections to contact their local law enforcement because our office does not have the authority to investigate or enforce, uh, you know, those types of activities.”
