Republican Loren Culp, who lost the race for Washington governor, is suing Secretary of State Kim Wyman, claiming she botched the election by allowing thousands of people to vote illegally, a claim Wyman said there is no evidence to support.
Culp's lawsuit against Wyman, also a Republican, highlights election results in Clark, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Skagit and Thurston counties.
In the suit, the Culp campaign claims, without evidence, that ballots were sent to 10,000 dead people and 7,800 of them voted.
They allege thousands of ballots were sent to people who moved, and others received duplicate ballots.
“We want a free and fair election, and this one wasn't free and fair,” said Stephen Pidgeon, a Culp campaign attorney, on Friday. “I'm not saying it's fraudulent. I'm just saying it wasn't free and fair because the obligations imposed on the Secretary of State, she didn't meet.”
The Secretary of State's office said they have not been served by a lawsuit yet and cannot comment on potential litigation.
In a statement earlier this month, Wyman's office debunked Culps' claims and said, "We have safeguards in place before, during, and after each election, and conduct numerous audits throughout, to ensure all election functions and processes are operating properly and accurately."
The Culp campaign would not provide the names of witnesses it said will back up its allegations.
“I wouldn't have filed the complaint if I didn't have the evidence. I have sworn declarations in my file, signed declarations in my file, that detail the analysis that's been made,” Pidgeon said.
He said the campaign’s “main expert witness,” who he also would not name, is still working on details to present in court and should have a report completed next week.
“I know you guys want to know who the witnesses are, but right now, from a legal point of view, it does nothing. It's not going to further our case one way or the other,” Pidgeon said.