GOP Election Observer Didn’t Wear Mask — Now Faces Jail, Targeted by Anti‑MAGA DA Who Smears Trump Voters as ‘Racist Bullies’
A Republican election observer in the state of Washington declined to wear a face mask while inside a ballot count room in November 2024. Now, the GOP election observer has been hit with a felony conviction and faces jail time.
Tim Hazelo — a Navy veteran and the former chairman of the Island County Republican Party — was observing ballot counting on Nov. 4, 2024. Hazelo chose not to wear a face mask inside the ballot count room.
Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider established a mask mandate in certain parts of the county elections office. Crider previously told KOMO-TV that she established the mask mandate because 50% of the staff tested positive for COVID-19 during the August 2024 primary.
KOMO recently reported that those who did not want to wear a mask could still observe the ballot counting from the hallway, but “some have said their view was obstructed from that vantage point.”
Hazelo was reportedly asked to wear a mask, relocate to the hallway, or leave the premises. Hazelo apparently refused to wear a face mask, and he was escorted out of the building by two police officers. (Read more from “GOP Election Observer Didn’t Wear Mask — Now Faces Jail, Targeted by Anti‑MAGA DA Who Smears Trump Voters as ‘Racist Bullies’” HERE)
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