Lin's residency to be decided in closed meeting

MOSES LAKE —The decision on whether Albert Lin can continue voting and running for prosecutor in Grant County will be decided behind closed doors.

MOSES LAKE -The decision on whether Albert Lin can continue voting and running for prosecutor in Grant County will be decided behind closed doors.

The Grant County Canvassing Board is deciding whether Lin is a resident of Grant County after David Canfield filed a challenge with Grant County Auditor Bill Varney.

Canfield accused Lin of moving out of the county after he lost ownership of his home in a divorce. Lin's attorney claims Lin returns every weekend to live in Ephrata while working out of the county during the week.

If the board decides Lin is a resident, his primary ballot will count and he can continue running for office.

If the board decides he is not a resident, his vote is discarded and he cannot hold office in Grant County until he meets residency criteria. He would have until Oct. 4 to find a new home in Grant County and re-register to vote. It is the state deadline for registering to vote in the Nov. 2 general election.

The first meeting of the board, comprised of county commissioner Carolann Swartz, auditor Bill Varney and Katie Blinn, assistant Director of Elections for Secretary of State Sam Reed, was held openly in the Grant County commissioners hearing room before numerous people and Columbia Basin Herald staff.

Blinn was asked by Grant County Prosecutor Angus Lee to represent the prosecutor, who normally holds the third board position.

Lin is running against Lee for election as prosecutor.

As Columbia Basin Herald staff waited to hear a conference call meeting between board members Aug. 18, Blinn asked to postpone the meeting. Varney said she was checking to see if the meeting should to be open to the public and working to find a time for her to appear in person at the next meeting.

"The question (of closing the meeting) was posed to me and I researched it," Blinn said in an interview. "I don't know if anyone asked to have it closed ... when I talked with Angus Lee (before her appointment), he wanted somebody to advise the board about this issue."

She said there are other cases where voter registration challenges were handled behind closed doors in accordance with state law on quasi-judicial actions.

"There is no one specifically asking for it, this is essentially how it's handled," said Blinn. "It is consistent with the law."

The board must make their decision before Sept. 1, when they are to ratify the primary election votes.

On Aug. 19 Blinn wrote an e-mail to both Varney and Swartz telling them the meeting to deliberate and make their decision could be closed to the public.

"The Grant County Canvassing Board is free to discuss the merits of the Canfield v. Lin voter registration challenge outside of a public meeting," she wrote. "In other words, the Canvassing Board is free to hold a private discussion on this topic alone."

Columbia Basin Herald Publisher Harlan Beagley disagrees with the board meeting being held behind closed doors.

"We oppose removing the public from the deliberation process. This challenge is not just one vote. It could impact an election," he said. "I believe it is important to see how and why the decision is made. It is as important as the decision itself."

The easiest option to keep the meetings open is if the majority of the board, two members, require it, according to Tim Ford with the state Attorney General's Office.

Varney declined to comment on the situation.

"I'd rather wait to see how things go," he said.

The Columbia Basin Herald was unable to reach Swartz.

Lin declined to speak at length about the challenge and said he would let his attorney represent him.

"There is a process and I certainly don't want to interfere," he said. "I do believe they will do their job."