OLYMPIA — After learning that the Department of Homeland Security plans to launch voter fraud investigations in Washington and eight other states through a CNN article, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs issued the following statement:
“I learned about the Department of Homeland Security’s ‘voter fraud investigation surge’ through the media, just like everyone else. Homeland Security made no attempt to contact me or representatives of my office about this.
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have learned about federal actions through the media.
“It’s troubling that Homeland Security is wasting taxpayer dollars investigating a phenomenon we know to be false.
“Incidents of voter fraud are incredibly rare. In Washington state, there were just five cases between 2008 and 2025, out of 90 million ballots cast during that time.
“This is another attempt by the federal government to cause chaos and confusion ahead of the midterms.
“I know that my office and county election officials across Washington state remain focused on administering a secure and fair election for Washington voters this November.”
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program. The Secretary of State oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime and the Civic Engagement Program to increase governmental trust and participation for all Washingtonians.