With ballots for the 2023 general election due Tuesday, we remain confident in the security of balloting in Clark County and throughout most of Washington. Any sober analysis of the process leads to the conclusion that local elections are conducted in a safe and fair manner.
Yet unfounded accusations and wacky conspiracy theories continue to chip away at public faith in elections, gradually undermining our representative democracy. It has been said that if you tell a lie often enough, people will believe it. In actuality, the problem isn’t that they believe the lie, but that they stop believing the truth. That seed of doubt germinates into a weed that obscures rational thought.
Such is the case in three Washington counties. Grant, Ferry and Lincoln counties are the only ones in the state that do not employ internet security devices known as Albert sensors to monitor network traffic. Under state law, county governments are allowed to determine the appropriate security for their networks.
“Most states have Albert sensors,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs told The (Spokane) Spokesman-Review. “The Secretary of State’s Office prefers the Albert sensor to alternate security.” Hobbs added that Albert sensors are the standard for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Whether or not three counties in Washington have Albert sensors is not a broad concern for people in Clark County. But prevalent misinformation and conspiracy theories are disconcerting.
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