The Republican who brought vote-by-mail to Washington State still believes in it

Washington State started conducting all-mail elections in 2014 and it’s mostly been smooth sailing since then.  But a national explosion of vote-by-mail during the 2020 election due to Covid sparked a partisan backlash against the practice. President Trump made claims that voting by mail would lead to widespread fraud, accusations that grew louder after he lost that election to President Biden. Now the Washington State Republican Party has officially come out against vote-by-mail, with Chairman Jim Walsh saying “We want to get back to in-person voting.” Sam Reed is a Republican and was the 14th Secretary of State in Washington, retiring in 2013. He's also the godfather of vote-by-mail in Washington State. And he regrets nothing.  Guest: Former WA Secretary of State Sam Reed Relevant links:  WAGOP Joins Regional Movement to END Vote-By-Mail The History of Voting and Elections in Washington State Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.