State Rep. Bob McCaslin Jr. has frequently flown under the radar compared to his former seatmate in Washington's 4th Legislative District, Matt Shea. But the kindergarten teacher-turned-right-wing legislator has often been on the same ideological page as Shea — even continuing to co-sponsor a new version of Shea's signature bill attempting to turn Eastern Washington into its own state.
However, this year McCaslin isn't running for reelection to the Washington House. He's running for county auditor against longtime incumbent Vicky Dalton.
"People who work in the auditor's office, I want them to love to come to work," McCaslin tells the Inlander in a brief interview. "I want them to love their jobs. A good leader could do that."
On his website, McCaslin stresses his commitment to using taxpayer money wisely and to providing transparency. "Elections observers should be welcomed, as well as frequent audits of all County departments," he writes.
In many states, relatively obscure county election officials have become the subject of the spotlight, as former President Donald Trump and gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp made baseless claims about voter fraud after losing their elections. Culp unsuccessfully attempted to sue Dalton and other county auditors because of his objections to the election.
Asked if McCaslin had concerns about election integrity, the state representative said he had no idea — he would need to be in the auditor's office to know either way.
"I don't have any proof of wrongdoing at this point," McCaslin says. "I've never said publicly that there were serious problems in the auditor's office."
Dalton says that state law doesn't give the auditor a choice on whether to certify the election.
"If there are any issues, you need to get them resolved prior to that deadline to certify," Dalton says.
Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson says Washington's state law has enough checks and balances that she's not all that worried that an ideologue could somehow hijack elections. She's much more concerned about whether an auditor is a competent administrator. That's why, last year, Anderson unsuccessfully attempted to persuade the Pierce County Council to vote to make the auditor an appointed position instead of an elected position.
Dalton stresses the sheer breadth of her role, which involves also overseeing everything from vendor payments to licenses — both marital and vehicular — to obscenely complicated motor home title transfers.
I love what I do," Dalton says. "I love what my offices provide to the community. I just want to make sure that the Spokane area continues to receive excellent service." ♦
