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Pull curtain around signatures
Citizen signers of initiative petitions deserve to have their privacy protected. The most persuasive explanation for why comes from Thurston County Judge Richard Hicks in October:
“We know the state Constitution grants privacy rights greater than what the federal Constitution grants. Why do we have a curtain on the voting booth? The Secretary of State’s office wants everything open but where they run into problems is what about this constitutional right to privacy? … The state can show cases … where the government’s been allowed to invade personal privacy … but always when there is a financial interest. … But when it is signing a petition outside the grocery store and no money is involved, and the person signing may not even vote for it if it reaches the ballot, then it’s very close to a personal vote. … So if it’s like a vote, then my question is back to why do we have curtains on the voting booth if that’s the basis of this?”
The secretary of state’s policy to release citizens’ personal information on petitions, even if supported by The Spokesman-Review (editorial, Dec. 12), cannot be allowed to violate the Washington Constitution and the U.S. Constitution.
Tim Eyman
Mukilteo, Wash.