SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Problem ballots leaving bad taste with voters figuratively and literally
Jul 28, 2014, 5:36 AM | Updated: 5:36 am
King County Elections reports a new glue is causing some ballots to arrive sealed shut, others to taste strange. (Stephanie Klein/MyNorthwest.com)
(Stephanie Klein/MyNorthwest.com)
Some problems with ballots in King County are leaving people with a bad taste in their mouths.
“It was the most rancid, god awful envelope glue I’ve ever tasted in my life,” complains KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson after licking the envelope for his primary ballot. “It was just like licking death, and I’ve licked a lot of death in my time,” he laughs.
Sounds like just another Dori rant, but it turns out a number of people have complained as well. It’s not just the taste.
About 260 voters contacted King County Elections in the first week of voting to report their ballots were already sealed shut when they arrived in the mail.
Spokesperson Kim Van Ekstrom says King County Elections hired a new ballot assembly and mailing contractor for the August primary elections, and the glue used on the return envelopes activated during the mailing.
“We’ve seen this occasionally in the past, but we think this combination of the new sealant as well as the hot, muggy days, did this job to us this time,” Van Ekstrom says.
How do you get to your ballot? Van Ekstrom says voters can carefully open or slit the envelope, then use a small amount of tape to reseal the envelope. If the envelope is damaged, voters can download and print a replacement envelope packet.
As for the bad taste, it’s hard to tell how widespread the problem really is. Dori and news anchor Ursula Reutin each licked half of her envelope to see if it was as nasty as the one sent Dori.
“That doesn’t taste bad,” Ursula declared. “It’s not bad,” Dori agreed.
“Now the question is was I targeted by King County Elections with the rancid glue because of my politics?” Dori jokes.
Of course, Van Ekstrom points out there’s an easy way to avoid getting a bad tasting envelope. Just use a moist sponge or tape instead. But that’s not nearly as fun.
Van Ekstrom says the department has already taken steps with the contractor to make sure envelopes for the next election will use a different sealant to prevent further problems.
