Pierce County's ballot process just scored a hat-trick with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), snagging not one, not two, but three national Clearie Awards for outstanding election practices. A division of the Pierce County Auditor’s Office, the elections team stood out among 32 programs across the U.S. for signature envelope reworking, its novel Drop Box Observer Program, and a snazzy, locally inspired “I Voted” sticker.
Their Signature Cure Envelope Redesign Initiative was a game changer, presenting crucial ballot mail in a recognizable package that's hard to overlook, this shift was part of why there was almost a 10% plunge in the signature challenge rate from the 2022 to the 2023 General Elections; Pierce County boasted the lowest rate of signature challenges in the state for punctually returned ballots, according to official award details. Voting by mail, a staple since 2011, has left many Pierce County residents depositing ballots in one of the burgeoning number of drop boxes, yet misinformation had cast a shadow over their security which the Drop Box Observer Program, a bipartisan initiative, was launched to dispel by enabling representatives from political parties to observe, verify, and confirm legal and policy adherence of these boxes on election nights.
The return of the “I Voted” sticker after seven years capped off the county's trio of wins, featuring the majestic Mt. Rainier, a symbol of the common ground shared by voters irrespective of political allegiances, every registered voter receives this token with their ballot in the August Primary and the November General elections, "I want everyone to trust and love elections as much as I do," Pierce County Auditor Linda Farmer stated, as she underscored each initiative's role in fostering civic pride and trust among voters.
The trio of awards not only spotlights the integrity and innovation in the Pierce County election process but also serves as a nudge to other jurisdictions to potentially elevate their own practices, this all while boosting local voter trust and pride, details of the county's winning initiatives, including those on the revamped envelopes and the observer program, can be gleaned from Pierce County's announcement.
