Can voters truly verify how their ballots are counted, or are they being asked to trust a system they cannot see? In this guest column, Clallam County Auditor candidate Virginia Shogren argues that elections have become increasingly dependent on proprietary software, private vendors, and technology that operates beyond public scrutiny. She questions whether transparency has been replaced by trust in electronic systems and warns that citizens are being pushed further from the election process. Shogren contends that restoring confidence in elections will require returning greater oversight and control to the public.
A Gordian knot is a metaphor for an extremely complicated problem that seems impossible to solve. The phrase comes from an ancient legend in which a king named Gordius tied an intricate knot that no one could untangle. A prophecy said whoever untied it would rule Asia. When Alexander the Great encountered the knot, he didn’t try to untie it—instead, he cut through it with his sword.
On May 18, 2026, Clallam County Auditor Shoona Riggs participated in a work session with our County Commissioners. She was questioned about salaries for two new hires, one of whom will fill the vacant position of certified elections manager.
During the work session, Ms. Riggs made two personal observations:
That “a lot of the public is nervous about working in elections just because of scrutiny”; and
She expressed her “love” for elections because they are akin to “project management” and “just that whole excitement of being able to create that.”
I found these observations interesting.
First, why would a member of the public be nervous about working in Clallam County elections? Is there something we don’t know? Is the “pressure” that Auditor Riggs referred to something more than usual hard work that demands attention to detail?
Second, why would an election be akin to a “project” that an Auditor is excited to “create”? Creativity in elections is not a normal motivation. The motivation should properly be to conduct an election consistent with the will of the people.
And therein lies the challenge.
Currently, Clallam County taxpayers have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to turn election integrity over to programmable electronic systems and robots.
Starting in roughly 2022, our signature verification was done not by human eyes but by a programmable Runbeck robot called “Agilis”:
Our ballots are then scanned using software that creates an ‘image’ of our votes. That ‘image’ is then ‘read’ electronically using proprietary software kept secret for at least 25 years. [RCW 42.56.425(1)(b),(d)].
Lastly, the paper ballots themselves — despite the fact that they are anonymous public records — are now exempt from public review under the Public Records Act. [RCW 42.56.425(1)(e)].
As of 2026, our election system is entirely reliant upon hardware and software owned and operated by third-party commercial vendors. The electronics comprise vulnerable components largely produced in China.
Our elections are not run by Clallam County, and are definitely not conducted by the people. Our votes are not tabulated in public. No one may observe the actions of an electronic tabulation. A ‘black box’ counts the votes. A ‘black box’ spits out the results. If you dare to ask even a single question, you are labelled an ‘election denier’ (or worse).
Many states require that a complete copy of the software used to count votes be kept in “escrow”. Software escrow (or source code escrow) is generally a legal and operational agreement whereby a neutral third-party agent securely stores a software developer’s source code. If a predetermined “trigger event” occurs, the code is released to the client to ensure business continuity.
I checked with our Secretary of State: Washington no longer has an escrow requirement for the software used to run Washington state elections.
The auditors are not allowed to see the software code. The Secretary of State is not allowed to see the software code. No one in Washington State government has a copy in escrow or any access to the source code used to manage our elections. The source code used to ‘spit out’ the results is available only to the private vendors themselves.
Members of the public, myself included, have brought these issues to the attention of the Clallam County Canvassing Board and the Board of Commissioners on many occasions over the span of several years. The written record is extensive and contains sworn testimony from multiple lawsuits.
Yet not a single requested change has been made. It has been strictly business as usual. If any trend could be identified, it would be a trend to remove the public even further from the election process.
Auditor Riggs has gotten progressively more restrictive on election observation. Observers are now subject to “Rules & Standards of Conduct” and an “Oath of Observers”; phone use is restricted; observers are required to be personally escorted to the election room.
The message is clear: the public is considered ‘dangerous’ and a ‘threat’ to what are essentially government-run private elections using proprietary electronics and software paid for by us.
This is all, in my opinion, by design. History will not look kindly as to how we got here. Both political parties are likely deeply involved, as are elected officials, judges, government employees, NGOs, and grant recipients who benefit from the system just the way it is.
But the cracks are there. From the grassroots public comment all the way to the halls of Congress and the active debates over the SAVE Act, the people have awoken to the dangers of turning ultimate power of our elections over to technology. In order to remain a self-determining people, we must wrest back control of our elections and return it to where it belongs.
We have been lulled into a sense of complacency. Casting a ballot in our slippers from our kitchen table seemed so innocent. So comfortable. So safe. But the truth is that there are nefarious people and nations that seek to destroy us from within. The only way to save ourselves is to save ourselves. No one will do it for us.
In Part III, I will lay out exactly how we do it.
Virginia Shogren
Candidate for Clallam County Auditor
961 W. Oak Court, Sequim, WA 98382
Virginia Shogren is running for Clallam County Auditor to restore trust in our elections and to make sure our tax dollars are spent wisely. Virginia believes in simple, honest government that works for the people—not special interests. She seeks accountability, lower costs, and real oversight of our elections and our money.
