Trump lacks the power to end mail-in voting, NW Dems say
President Donald Trump said Monday that he wants to end mail-in voting.
His statements drew pushback from Northwest Democrats who say the system is secure.
The president claimed without evidence that mail-in voting leads to widespread fraud. In a recent interview with Fox News, he noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin shared that sentiment during a recent meeting in Alaska.
Secretary of State Tobias Read, who oversees elections in Oregon, said Trump is trying to corrupt American elections and is colluding with foreign power.
"Mail-in voting is the best way to protect everyone's right to vote," he told OPB. "And that goes especially for rural folks, for elderly people, for hourly workers. Because mail-in voting meets citizens exactly where they are."
Oregon and Washington have both used mail-in voting for decades. State leaders say the president lacks the constitutional authority to end mail-in voting barring an act of Congress.
In a statement Monday, Washington U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell called voting by mail "the consistently most safe and trackable method of voting."
Spokane County looks to expand wind power zoning
County planners have identified six square miles in southeast Spokane County that they say are the most suited to have wind turbines.
It’s the most detailed study yet as the county looks to write policy to guide potential wind power development in next year’s comprehensive plan.
The land around Rockford, Fairfield and Latah offers the least amount of environmental concerns when it comes to hosting wind turbines. That’s according to Spokane County planners, who have been putting together regional studies to help the county write renewable energy policy.
"That area in the Palouse is protected by the Growth Management Act from degradation of agricultural resources. There are less environmental constraints but there are constraints by law," County Planning Director Scott Chesney said while presenting to the County Planning Commission in late July.
The southern part of the county gets the most wind, but planners suggested that much of it should be off limits. They said that Turnbull Wildlife Refuge and surrounding channeled scablands are too fragile to support wind turbines.
That’s because of biodiversity but also geological factors that make the land literally too unstable to hold turbines steady. Also, Fairchild Air Force base needs a wide radius of unobstructed air space for heavy refueling planes to take off and land.
Critics of wind power typically say laws to protect ag land would prohibit turbines, but Chesney says there’s another way to look at it.
"The constraints in ag are there to protect ag and also allow for accessory uses that support agriculture," Chesney said. "Having alternate income streams, we recognize, is a very important opportunity for landowners whether it's in farming or ranching to try to mitigate a bad crop season."
The County is only deciding where it might zone for wind turbines. It’s up to private businesses to build them or not. Current federal attitudes toward wind power could disincentivize renewable energy companies for the next few years.
WA officials respond to DOJ letter threatening state over sanctuary policies
Washington officials are responding to a letter from the federal government last week demanding they end so-called “sanctuary jurisdiction” policies—local laws stopping police from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“You are hereby notified that your jurisdiction has been identified as one that engages in sanctuary policies and practices that thwart federal immigration enforcement,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote to Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Aug. 13. “This ends now.”
Ferguson posted on Facebook that “Washington has no intention of changing our values in the face of threats from the Trump administration.”
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown told KUOW the letter is an intimidation tactic that doesn’t rely on “a sound analysis of what the law actually requires.”
"I just think the threats from the Department of Justice and from the Trump administration are fairly hollow when it comes to the actual law," Brown said Monday. "I think the letter is bluster, but it's a letter from the most powerful law enforcement officer in the country. So I, as the [state’s] attorney general, I need to take it seriously."
Washington’s “Keep Washington Working Act” strictly limits how local law enforcement can interact with federal immigration authorities. Adams County’s sheriff and Snohomish County prosecutors have recently landed in court for sharing inmate information and immigration status with federal authorities, and holding people in local jails based solely on immigration status.
The letter contained vague threats to cut federal law enforcement funding to Washington state, which Trump tried to do to other states during his first term — to mixed success. Brown said he expects the feds to try and cut federal law enforcement grants again.
“It’s really absurd, and it's really sad, frankly, that we have an administration that is so vindictive and reckless with public safety, because every law enforcement agency in Washington state relies on assistance from the federal government to some degree or another,” Brown said.
Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank, a newly-elected conservative with a history of inflammatory posts online, recently went to D.C. to ask the federal government to intervene in Washington. Swank has been involved in litigation with his own county prosecutor over the state’s law.
“I’ve been waiting for the US Attorney General to give us a hand here,” Swank said. “I’m looking forward to warrants being issued. I’m going to have to dust off and oil up my cuffs.”
Swank didn’t make it clear who he was planning to arrest or on what grounds, and his office did not respond to a request for an interview.
Haring one step closer to SIA exec chair
Spokane City Council has approved David Haring as the next CEO of Spokane Airports.
The Airport Board announced their intent to hire Haring Monday morning, pending final approval from City Council and the Board of County Commissioners.
Five city council members voted for Haring’s appointment, while members Jonathan Bingle and Zack Zappone abstained.
Zappone said he didn’t feel comfortable voting since he only learned who was being appointed a few hours before.
"I think that I was a big advocate for public transparency and public process at STA on the CEO," he said Monday. "This is an important role for our entire region and I think that the public should know about the person more than six hours before we're voting on it. So I don't think that would be consistent with my previous positions.”
Bingle shared a similar sentiment.
City Council President Betsy Wilkerson is the Council’s representative on the airport board.
"I was part of the selection process," Wilkerson said. "I hear my council members wishing they had more input, but really as you look at your various boards, that is the board's purview."
County Commissioners will vote on Haring’s appointment at their legislative session Tuesday, Aug. 19.
If Haring is approved, he will start work on October 6.
- - -
Reporting by Bryce Dole, Owen Henderson, Eliza Billingham and Scott Greenstone.