{"id":2326220,"date":"2024-08-18T13:34:54","date_gmt":"2024-08-18T17:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ballot-chase-underway-in-washington-7th-district-race-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-18T13:39:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-18T17:39:00","slug":"ballot-chase-underway-in-washington-7th-district-race-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ballot-chase-underway-in-washington-7th-district-race-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Ballot chase underway in Washington 7th District race &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fballot-chase-underway-in-washington-7th-district-race-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2326220&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-issues-multiple-corrections-for-article-falsely-claiming-900000-u-s-children-have-been-hospitalized-for-covid-19-during-pandemic\/\" title=\"New York Times Issues Multiple Corrections For Article Falsely Claiming 900,000 U.S. Children Have Been Hospitalized For COVID-19 During Pandemic\">article discusses<\/a> the ongoing ballot chase in the Washington 7th District\u200c race, where candidate Patrick Bell is focused on ensuring that all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-swing-state-election-laws-have-changed-since-2020\/\" title=\"Swing state election laws altered post-2020\">eligible ballots<\/a> \u2063are counted before the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-county-outright-rejects-certification-deadline-with-47k-votes\/\" title=\"Arizona County Outright Rejects Certification Deadline With 47K Votes\">certification deadline<\/a> on August 20th. \u2062Bell, a seasoned Republican campaign volunteer and former staff member for Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, has decided to suspend \u200dhis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teens-take-charge-likely-violating-federal-tax-law-experts-say\/\" title=\"Teens Take Charge Likely Violating Federal Tax Law, Experts Say\">campaign activities<\/a> to concentrate \u200don curing the votes of Republican voters. He is currently trailing behind Democratic candidate Paul \u201cRocky\u201d Dean by 1,523 votes, while another Republican candidate, Hunter Abell, is leading the race.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Ballot chase underway in Washington 7th District race<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1732423\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; For Patrick Bell, the race to represent northeast Washington in Olympia won&rsquo;t be over until the last ballot is cured and counted.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m suspending the campaign until certification on August 20th, to focus on curing eligible ballots of voters who cast Republican votes,&rdquo; he told The Center Square.<\/p>\n<p>Bell is a long-time Republican campaign volunteer and formerly served on the staff of Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers.<\/p>\n<p>Bell currently trails Democratic candidate Paul &ldquo;Rocky&rdquo; Dean by 1,523 votes in the battle for second place. Hunter Abell, also running as a Republican, has secured the top position with 34.72% of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>The open seat has been held by Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, since 2004.<\/p>\n<p>Ballot chasers contact voters whose ballot was postmarked or placed in a drop box on time but was rejected, usually for lack of signature or physical damage obscuring voter intent. Curing a ballot refers to the process spelled out for correcting those flaws.<\/p>\n<p>Bell pointed out in a statement Thursday that he had already closed the gap to 3.56% and hoped the trend continued. &ldquo;There are 1,900 or so <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pa-county-reports-voting-machine-issues-affecting-republican-ballots-dominion-releases-statement\/\" title=\"PA County Reports Voting Machine Issues Affecting Republican Ballots; Dominion Releases Statement\u00a0\">ballots left<\/a> to count. I closed from an 8.7% gap on Primary Night. Late counts zig zagged, but mostly in my favor.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ballot chase efforts are underway in several close races across the state. Voters can check the status of their ballot at VoteWA.gov, or the status of a ballot of a family member or friend by entering the full name and birth date. The system cannot identify how a voter has voted, only whether the ballot has been accepted for counting. Ballot chasers rely on other data sources to cross check rejected ballots with the names of voters they expect to be supporters.<\/p>\n<p>Abell and Dean did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1732423\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1732423\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ballot retrieval efforts are in progress for the Washington 7th District election (The Center Square) \u2013 Patrick Bell stated that his campaign to represent northeast Washington in Olympia will continue until every ballot is processed and counted. He announced, \u201cI\u2019m pausing my campaign until certification on August 20th to concentrate on fixing eligible ballots from Republican voters.\u201d Bell, a seasoned Republican campaign volunteer and former staff member of Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, is currently trailing Democratic candidate Paul \u201cRocky\u201d Dean by 1,523 votes for second place. Hunter Abell, also a Republican candidate, leads with 34.72% of the vote. This open seat has been occupied by Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, since 2004. Ballot chasers reach out to voters whose ballots were timely submitted but rejected due to issues like signature discrepancies or damage that obscures voter intent. The process of &#8220;curing&#8221; a ballot involves correcting these errors as outlined by regulations. In a statement on Thursday, Bell noted he had narrowed the gap to 3.56% and expressed hope that this trend would persist: \u201cThere are about 1,900 ballots remaining to be counted. I\u2019ve reduced an initial gap of 8.7% since Primary Night; late counts have fluctuated but mostly favored me.\u201d Efforts to retrieve ballots are ongoing in several closely contested races throughout the state. Voters can verify their ballot status at VoteWA.gov or check the status for family members or friends using their full name and birth date; however, this system only indicates whether a ballot has been accepted for counting without revealing how an individual voted. Ballot chasers utilize additional data sources to match rejected ballots with expected supporters&#8217; names for follow-up actions. Abell and Dean did not respond when asked for comments<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2326221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Biden_Harris_Democrats_Voters_DNC_elections_55.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[38425,38424,36618,5894,4086],"class_list":["post-2326220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-7th-district","tag-ballot-chase","tag-election-2023","tag-politics","tag-washington"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Biden_Harris_Democrats_Voters_DNC_elections_55.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2326220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2326220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2326220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2326221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2326220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2326220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2326220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}