By CARLEEN JOHNSON | THE CENTER SQUARE
An Island County elections observer was escorted out of the Auditor’s Office on Monday for refusing to wear a face mask.
The masking requirement came from Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider, who told The Center Square that in the wake of a Covid-19 outbreak at the elections center back in August, when election workers were conducting a recount in the Lands Commissioner race between Democratic candidate Dave Upthegrove and Republican Sue Kuehl-Pedersen – the second and third-place finishers – several workers got sick.
“We had eight people that got sick, so now we’re just ensuring everyone is kept safe as a precaution,” Crider explained.
Tracy Abuhl, an Island County Republican precinct committee officer and trained election observer, was forced to leave her observation of Island County elections workers on Monday for refusing to wear a mask.
“I showed up Friday, and they said I had to wear a mask, and I didn’t want to go to jail for the weekend, so I contacted people and decided I would go back on Monday,” Abuhl told The Center Square Monday afternoon.
When Abuhl arrived back at election headquarters on Monday, it was clear others were ready for a potential confrontation.
“When I got here on Monday, there were three police officers that came in because I guess they heard something about this,” she said, noting the scenario felt like government overreach to her.
“I’m sitting out in the hallway, and I don’t have to wear a mask, but then down the hallway I do?” Abuhl asked.
She warned the police officers who were there Monday that she would attempt to enter the observation area without a mask.
“I knew when I came in that’s what they would do,” Abuhl said, claiming she wasn’t trying to create any issues but did want to make a point.
“It’s simply unconstitutional as I see it to do this,” she said. “To me, this is election interference because even when the last recount was going on, all the Democrat observers were coming in with masks, and Republicans didn’t want to wear them, so there was no inclusion.”
Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh told The Center Square that while there is a WAC relating to county auditors taking measures to protect elections, no current law allows the auditor to require masks for election observers.
Crider told The Center Square her job is to keep election workers and observers safe.
“Auditors can take measures to do that,” she said.
Abuhl said she understood the health concerns during the Covid-19 pandemic and at health facilities with high rates of illness but said the mask requirement goes too far with no current outbreak.
COVID-19 mandates are a billboard for the hypocrisy of the left. On one hand, everyone must submit their body to the State and inject a vaccine that isn’t really a vaccine because we are all in this together to save every life. On the other hand, abortion is healthcare? That just doesn’t add up. Democrats and the left are the party of human extinction. Thanks to Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider for reminding us all of this during election season.
It has been established that it is not about health; it is about compliance. Yet, we “mask” the mandate under the excuse of health.
I love how we are now responsible for everyone else’s health. It is not prochoice by any stretch. You WILL care about others’ health. You WiLL comply in the way we say today and tomorrow.
Washington is not the state it used to be. Back in the 80’s, when California was falling apart financially, it seemed like half the population of CA moved north, and changed the character of the I-5 corridor forever. Not that California has ever recovered….
I believe it was September of 2022 when President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. said that the covid pandemic was over, of course it had been over for some time and Joe being Joe was late to the game.
These people don’t even pretend that they aren’t cheating anymore. Judges allowing illegal voters to cast ballots, forcing the counting of ballots that aren’t postmarked, destruction of ballots by fire-bombing, ballots cast in the names of people who did not cast them with people fraudulently signing multiple ballots. No voter fraud the leftists say…
The mask won’t do a damn thing.
Just more leftist thuggery and intimidation to prevent or stop Republicans from observing Democrat cheating.🙄. Catturd and Jewels mentioned this on their podcast (“In The Litterbox” on Rumble) that this is happening in WA as Democrats are desperate to stop Republican Joe Kent from winning his US Congressional race.
Washington state explains it all.
And I say BRAVO to that person!!! I will NEVER EVER wear a mask again unless, I am asked to do so going into a medical facility.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
The US Constitution did not create a privileged people but equal people. Equal people do not tell their neighbors “you can keep your hat on” because one doesn’t have any more authority over another. I believe it is treason against the the US Constitution.
Nevertheless, society has rules called laws.
The US Constitution is the foundational law of creation of the United States of America land, sea and water created by due process of continental convention which is the only due process to add articles to the US Constitution.
What convenient timing for the Cult of the Covidiots to make a resurgence, just in time to use their hysteria to their advantage.
I was pretty sure that by now everyone on the planet knew that masks and the Vax do absolutely nothing to stop the spread.
But if we’re Democrats, we’ll just ignore that, and ban anti-maskers from the polls, so we can steal without those pesky prying eyes watching us….
If everyone else was complying with the policy (as stupid as masking is), then the Republican observer was in the wrong. Just put the stupid useless mask on.
Tell me the law required you to ware a mask?
Who said law?
Policy.
People managing a public space, even one paid for by taxpayers are allowed to set policy. Just because there is no law that requires one to wear a mask does not mean the manger of the public space cannot set a policy. And the proper way to challenge it is before you enter, not by publicly disruption.
If their voter laws require them to present a photo ID before they could vote, they would have to pull their mask to the side in order to identify themselves. There is no good solution.. Maybe if they went through a pre-screening area to scan your I. D, and they used facial recognition software, that could be all done electronically.
Ah yes, Island County (AKA Whidbey Island) a bastion of liberals who have moved in and ruined the place.
Like a certain stray”Dog” that comes here to defecate
There are no peer reviewed studies that show that masks are effective in stopping the transmission of Covid. In fact, studies have shown that wearing a mask for prolonged periods of time can have serious adverse health effects. Crider should be charged with election interference!
That was a crock!
Okay show some evidence that refutes that.
I’ll provide some that supports that. We are not wearing masks in any public places. None, not on planes, not in the gardening aisle, not at election facilities, not at SeaTac or PDX.
Strange, you are wearing a mask meaning you are protected from me, not wearing a mask, you wearing a mask are protecting me, not wearing a mask. It would appear a “Win-Win” for both.
cheers.
It’s pretty conclusive. Masks are useless and detrimental to the person wearing one. Mass ignorance is a thing.