Voting-related Litigation: Washington

1. Culp for Governor v. Wyman

(Filed December 10, 2020, No. 20–2–17720–2; Voluntarily dismissed with prejudice January 15, 2021, No. 20–2–17720–2; Clerk’s Order of Dismissal – Missed Trial Date January 26, 2022)

King County Superior Court: Culp for Governor v. Wyman was filed on December 10, 2020, in the King County Superior Court. The Plaintiff was the campaign for Republican gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp, who lost his race in the 2020 election by 545,000 votes.^[1]Jim Brunner, “Republican Loren Culp Lost the Washington Governor’s Race by 545,000 Votes. Now He’s Suing.,” seattletimes.com, December 11, 2020 The plaintiff sought an injunction against certification of the state’s election results pending an audit of paper ballots, vote counting machines, and voting results in six Washington counties. The case records indicate that Judge Julie Spector (appointed by a Democratic governor in 1999) was assigned the case. The judge retired in June 2021 and was replaced by Judge Matthew J. Segal (appointed by a Democratic governor in 2021).

On January 15, 2021, the Plaintiff filed a notice of intent to dismiss with prejudice. On January 26, 2022, the court issued a Clerk’s Order of Dismissal – Missed Trial Date. It is not clear why this occurred given the notice of intent to dismiss one year prior.

Issues: Vote-by-mail (ballots sent to ineligible voters); Voting machines (improper maintenance); Fraud (general fraud)

Outcome: The Plaintiff lost.

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