I served as a Democratic Party poll watcher at election headquarters at the Clallam County Courthouse.
I observed first-hand the methodical work of Auditor Shoona Riggs and her staff, sorting the mail ballots, checking signatures, opening the envelopes, stacking the ballots and scanning them.
The process is as transparent and honest as it can be.
Riggs even brought questionable ballots over for all the observers to inspect, a Republican woman, a League of Women Voters observer and me.
One ballot had a wad of chewing gum stuck where the signature should be.
Contrary to former President Trump’s claim that all mail ballots are fraudulent, all of us were certain these ballots were valid.
I also joined a team holding candidate yard signs at the main intersections in Port Angeles and Sequim every weekend for eight weeks.
My sign read, “REGISTER! VOTE! IT IS YOUR RIGHT!”
Another sign I held said, “Medgar Evers, Viola Liuzzo, Died For Your Right to Vote.”
Weekends, we door-belled urging people to fill out their ballots, mail them.
According to the Secretary of State, more than 70 percent of eligible Clallam County voters voted, a true tsunami.
Democratic candidates won a clean sweep.
On Nov. 8, I was back at that corner in Port Angeles holding a sign that read: “Democracy WON! Thank you VOTERS.”
It was an election virtually free of violence or intimidation.
And thank you Shoona Riggs and your staff for counting all the ballots.
Tim Wheeler
Sequim