WOODINVILLE, Wash — People in King County’s Eastside are outraged after receiving an election mailer that shared their voting history along with their neighbor’s.
“I would never look-up to see what my neighbors voted in and that doesn’t need to be delivered to me in my mailbox,” said Adrienne Zuckerberg, who received the mailer at her home addressed to her son.
Zuckerberg said her son was given a ‘D’ grade. She added she had no interest in learning whether her neighbors voted.
“It really wasn’t my business what primaries they voted in. That to me is personal information so I was offended,” said Zuckerberg.
Whether or not someone voted is public information. Records with the King County Elections Department will show you if someone voted but not who or how they voted. Still, many felt the mailer was public shaming.
“This certainly did get people’s attention. So, if that’s what they hoped to accomplish they did, but it was all negative attention. I haven’t spoken to one person who thought this was a good idea,” said Zuckerberg.
The card came from EvergreenHealth Foundation. It wanted people to approve Proposition-1, which would fund Evergreen Hospital’s $345 million improvement plan.
EvergreenHealth Foundation said it received a lot of feedback regarding the mailer and Vice President Kae Peterson issued this apology:
EvergreenHealth Foundation is very sorry and we apologize to our community on behalf of the Approve Prop-1 Campaign committee, and everyone who is a part of EvergreenHealth.
We mailed a flyer to a group of area residents that was intended to encourage voting on the August 6 ballot. This mailer evoked a significant reaction from our community. They are very disappointed and highly offended – they felt shamed and misrepresented. Their voice has been clearly heard and we appreciate very much their feedback.
We made a mistake, and we are just so, so sorry. We will work every single day to sustain and regain the trust of this community that we are so honored to serve.