Last year I made records requests for all work-related e-mails sent to/from certain King County Elections officials during July - November 2006. On Friday I received a CD that partially fulfilled this request.

Unfortunately, many of the requested records were withheld. I requested all attachments, but received no attachments. It's also clear that many responsive e-mails were withheld (and possibly deleted). For example, newly appointed Elections Director Sherril Huff, who was Assistant Director last year, produced only 2 e-mails for the entire month of September when she was second-in-command for the Primary.

But even the released e-mails are astonishing. They convey the impression of an office whose rank-and-file employees are diligent and conscientious, but who are led by biased political operatives for whom serving Ron Sims' political agenda seems to have a higher priority than the fair, honest, accurate and transparent administration of elections.

I'll be posting some of the more interesting e-mails over the next several days. See below for the first of these.