Thurston Co. Auditor draws ‘hard line’ on sharing Al security camera specifics
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall refuses to disclose AI camera details, citing state law.
- County Commissioners approved $35,104 grant to add AI to election facility cameras.
- WA state RCW 42.56.420 exempts vulnerability reports and security plans from disclosure.
Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall will not share specific details about her plans for AI-enabled security cameras, she said in a Wednesday news release.
Hall said she believes in being an “open book” when it comes to how she runs county elections, but she draws a “hard line” at sharing specific technical “blueprints” for her office’s security systems.
“If I stand up in a public meeting and explain the ‘blind spots’ of our camera system or exactly how our software triggers an alarm, I’m essentially handing over a blueprint for a break-in,” Hall said. “It doesn’t make sense to build a wall and then hand out a map showing exactly where the cracks are.”
Hall published the news release the day after the Board of County Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve a $35,104 grant agreement that supports Hall’s security plans. County documents indicate Hall intends to procure and install AI-enabled software on existing security cameras at the Voter Registration Center in Tumwater. Commissioners Emily Clouse and Rachel Grant voted against approving the grant agreement, citing privacy concerns and a desire for more information.
The software is intended to flag potential threats, such as weapons and bombs, according to a copy of the agreement and comments made by Hall last week.
At a Jan. 13 meeting, Hall started explaining some details about the cameras while mistakenly believing the board had entered into a closed-door executive session. The board has held multiple such sessions over the last several weeks to discuss the security cameras in detail.
After realizing her error, Hall asked if the live recording of those comments could be deleted. The board didn’t answer her directly and staff directed them into an executive session.
When reached for comment, county spokesperson Susan Melnyk told The Olympian that the county follows the state’s Open Public Meetings Act and “would not remove or delete any part of a public meeting.”
“Legal counsel was in attendance during the discussion and alerted the board when the questions being asked crossed into election security concerns listed under RCW 42.56.425,” Melnyk said in an emailed statement. “At that point, an Executive Session was announced, per RCW 42.30.110.”
Following the Tuesday board vote, a public commenter questioned Hall’s judgment. The person, who appeared virtually and only identified as Mary W, said during public comment that Hall’s deletion request was “ridiculous.”
“That’s really sketchy, and it makes me terrified that there’s elected officials that don’t have the best interest of the community in mind,” Mary W said.
Hall referenced conversations around the AI-enabled security cameras in her Wednesday news release.
“Lately, we’ve had some great community conversations about adding more security cameras to our Election Center,” Hall said. “During these talks, some folks have asked for the specific details on how those systems work. I want to explain why I can’t (and legally shouldn’t) give those away.”
In 2021, the state legislature passed House Bill 1068, a law that exempts election security information from public records disclosure. The bill was first read in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.
“In early 2021, right after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, our state legislature realized that election offices needed better protection,” Hall said in the release.
The state deemed HB 1068 an emergency measure that was “necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety or support of the state government and its existing public institutions …” according to the bill language.
Hall called it a “wake-up call” that the buildings where ballots are processed need to be treated as the “high-stakes targets” they are.
Hall said the law, known as RCW 42.56.420, prohibits her from releasing the following information:
- Vulnerability reports, or documents that point out exactly where an election building might be weak.
- Emergency backup plans. These are the “Plan B” for how election staff keep things running if their facility is ever compromised.
- Security test results, or reports showing how alarms or locks performed during drills.
- Infrastructure details. That includes any info that would make it easier for a person to interrupt election operations.
Hall shared an example involving a police car to illustrate her point.
“I like to think of it this way: You paid for the police cars in our community with your tax dollars. You own them. But that doesn’t mean the city should hand out copies of the car keys to everyone who asks,” Hall said in the release.
The Auditor’s Office regularly invites the public to visit the ballot processing center and voter registration center in Tumwater.
The former recently got renovated and now includes a dedicated hallway for people to see each part of the ballot counting process.
“I want to be clear: Transparency is sacred in my office,” Hall said. “HB 1068 does not let me hide how we count votes. You can still come down and watch us test the equipment, observe the ballot counting, watch an audit, and see our bipartisan teams in action.”
But while the process of the election belongs to you, the security plans and protection of the building has to stay between us and law enforcement. My number one job is to make sure your vote is secure. By following state law and keeping our security specifics confidential, I’m doing exactly that.”
The county’s ballot processing center and voter registration center can be found 2915 29th Ave. SW in Tumwater.
