Maleng won't prosecute Sotelo

Thanks for flying the elephant above the Stars and Stripes at your office, Norm:

A day after the Republicans lost most of their challenges to ballots cast Nov. 8, the King County prosecutor said Tuesday he will move to disenfranchise voters who registered at private mailboxes as the GOP claimed.

"I hope we can remove the partisan bickering from this debate and see that it is not a Republican or Democrat issue," GOP Prosecutor Norm Maleng said.

That may be easier said than done. Democratic County Executive Ron Sims called on Maleng on Tuesday to investigate the lead GOP challenger for perjury in filing wrongful challenges. Maleng demurred.

Congratulations, Norm. You're now at the heart of the partisan bickering. You're going to carry on the GOP's "Voter Registration Integrity Project" and decline to prosecute Sotelo, who claimed on penalty of perjury that she had "personal knowledge" that the several thousand voters she challenged were registered at invalid addresses.

So, just because Sotelo withdrew 178 challenges (because she was forced to) means she was "acting in good faith"? Come on, Norm! You've got to be kidding! You're opening the door and inviting the King County GOP to continue harassing and intimidating voters. We're not the only ones who are unhappy, either:

County Executive Ron Sims, who joined other Democrats in urging Maleng to investigate possible perjury charges against Sotelo after the errors came to light, is "incredibly disappointed" the prosecutor won't investigate, said spokesman Sandeep Kaushik.

"There are no consequences for [filing unsubstantiated challenges] now," he said.

"It's just going to invite more of this kind of mischief in the future," added Metropolitan King County Councilman Larry Phillips, D-Seattle.

Indeed it is. It's a signal to Chris Vance, Michael Young, Sotelo, and their gang that they can go ahead and keep doing this. All King County voters should take notice: your voter registration and your rights could come under attack at any time by the Republicans. Democrats need to get ready to fight back and prevent disenfranchisement.