Be careful about what you say, what you read on social media

Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall urged the public to exercise caution when sharing information online and educate themselves about the election process to stem the spread of false information.

In an online forum hosted yesterday by the League of Women Voters of Thurston County, Hall said that her office, which oversees the county’s elections, has taken several steps to combat false information, whether unintentionally circulated or deliberately created.

 Hall said that the Thurston County Auditor’s Office works with local news organizations and social media platforms like Facebook to prevent the spread of wrong information.

Hall’s office has also created an email address, disinfo@co.thurston.wa.us, where the public can report disinformation about elections by sending links or screenshots.

The auditor’s office has also been inviting observers to witness the election process in person.

“If you have not been in our ballot processing center to really watch how elections are processed, what are our procedures, the checks and balances, please do so because it’s an amazing process,” Hall urged.

“I never want Thurston County voters to have distrust in our system, not just while I’m here but after I’m gone, because our processes are above reproach and we don’t want what’s being contagious in many states across the country to be contagious here, because we do things right,” she added.

Last month, Hall had also stressed that local elections are “totally above reproach” amid concerns about possible voter fraud and the integrity of the polls.