An email depicting King County Director of Elections Julie Wise admitting that non-citizens were being registered to vote when obtaining a driver’s license recently went viral online. The document caused controversy among internet users, as many believed that the Washington official was in the wrong.
Obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and shared by Libs of TikTok, an email sent in 2021 by the Democrat-endorsed Director of Elections for King County, Julie Wise, discusses non-citizens being registered to vote.
In the email, Wise expresses concern that “voters who are not citizens are getting inadvertently registered to vote” at the DMV when obtaining a driver’s license. She says that at least 15 to 20 people have reached out to her, concerned that this could affect their immigration status.
Wise also claims that it is known that “many more” individuals may have been affected but likely have not contacted the government. To correct the problem, she suggested working together with the Department of Licensing, sending letters to affected people, and pursuing state-level legislative remedies.
The reason why the email became so viral was likely due to how Republicans often accuse Democrats of allowing illegal immigrants to vote. Some people saw the email as “proof” that this happened in reality, despite Wise clearly making an effort to correct the situation.
Internet Reacts to Controversy in Washington Election
The post attracted a strong reaction online, being shared over 3,400 times and liked by more than 7,400 people. Most of the commenters seemed to condemn the Democratic Party of Washington over what Wise alleged was a mistake. One user said: “The thing that never happens happened again, but you’re an evil malcontent for noticing it!”
Others had harsh words for the Democrats: “Dems lie. It is in their nature.” Someone else claimed that this kind of mistake “never happens without the specific design to… well… make it happen.”
Some folks were even skeptical that the email was not just a way for Wise to make sure that she would not be held accountable: “They just wanted something in writing to make it seem like they had no idea this was happening when they knew damn well it was happening. They are trying to avoid legal ramifications. Although they should know by now that no one is ever held accountable.”
Despite these controversies, the election is still set to happen in November. It’s expected, however, that some people will continue to question the legitimacy of the process until then.
