Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs responds to Homeland Security’s “voter fraud investigation surge”

WA Secretary of State Steve Hobbs

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.”