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GOP election observer didn't wear mask — now faces jail, targeted by anti‑MAGA DA who smears Trump voters as 'racist bullies'
A Republican election observer in the state of Washington declined to wear a face mask while inside a ballot count room in November 2024. Now, the GOP election observer has been hit with a felony conviction and faces jail time. Tim Hazelo — a Navy veteran and the former chairman of the Island County Republican Party — was observing ballot counting on Nov. 4, 2024. Hazelo chose not to wear a face mask inside the ballot count room. The article noted that the prosecutor 'implied Trump supporters are members of the KKK and called them "racist bullies with second-grade intellects and behavior disorders.'''Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider established a mask mandate in certain parts of the county elections office. Crider previously told KOMO-TV that she established the mask mandate because 50% of the staff tested positive for COVID-19 during the August 2024 primary. KOMO recently reported that those who did not want to wear a mask could still observe the ballot counting from the hallway, but "some have said their view was obstructed from that vantage point."Hazelo was reportedly asked to wear a mask, relocate to the hallway, or leave the premises. Hazelo apparently refused to wear a face mask, and he was escorted out of the building by two police officers.According to the arrest report obtained by KOMO, "It was determined Hazelo would be offered one final opportunity to comply with the policy set by the Island County auditor to wear a mask in the ballot processing rooms, and if he continued to refuse to comply with the policy, he would be asked to exit the room."RELATED: Fauci admits there was no scientific evidence for 6-foot social distancing or masking children, concedes lab leak was 'possible' LPETTET via iStock / Getty Images Hazelo was arrested and initially charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, which was later dismissed. However, Hazelo was hit with additional charges by an anti-Trump prosecutor in February 2025. Hazelo was charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, in addition to one count of unauthorized access to a voting center — a class C felony.Island County Prosecuting Attorney Gregory Banks charged Hazelo with a felony that could land him behind bars for a year. Banks, a Democrat, has a history of making disparaging remarks on social media about President Donald Trump and his supporters, according to reports. Conservative talk show host and columnist Jason Rantz previously reported that Banks made unsettling comments about Trump supporters. Rantz wrote in MyNorthwest.com in 2019, "Greg Banks is the elected Island County Prosecutor. Up until last week, his public and personal Facebook account was littered with vulgar, vicious smears against conservative voters and President Donald Trump."The article noted that the prosecutor "implied Trump supporters are members of the KKK and called them 'racist bullies with second-grade intellects and behavior disorders.'"Banks then "pulled the voluminous posts from his Facebook page and sent out a mea culpa to his staff Wednesday, saying that he had 'done something pretty stupid,'" the South Whidbey Record reported in August 2019.Banks reportedly told his staff, "That I was unable to see the harm my posts may cause to our reputation is more than embarrassing to me.""Banks also maintains he hasn’t treated staff members differently based on their Trump-related views, but he asked anyone with concerns to speak with him, the office administrator, one of the chief deputies, or human resources," according to the news outlet. However, Banks allegedly wrote another disparaging social media post about Trump supporters in 2020. "The terrifying part is 38% of voters don't see anything wrong with that. Even after we flush Trump, we have a difficult job to cleanse society of their diseased thinking," Banks wrote, according to MyNorthwest.com.Banks also hit a second Republican election observer, Tracy Abuhl, with a felony count of unauthorized access to a voting center.Abuhl was charged with a felony for refusing to wear a face mask in the election office in November 2024. "I was very peaceful, very respectful, but no, this is unconstitutional," Abuhl told KOMO. "I'm there as a volunteer, a citizen. I was a Republican observer, and I couldn't do my job."RELATED: Former FDA commissioner admits: 'Cloth masks aren't going to provide a lot of protection' Hazelo proclaimed, "We have to stand up when we believe something is wrong." Hazelo argued that Washington law does not entitle a county auditor to impose a mask mandate for election observers.Hazelo told KOMO, "They can say, 'Look it's highly recommended that if you feel sick, if you don't feel good, or you don't feel safe, or you're worried — we highly recommend you wear this mask.' A mandate goes too far."According to KOMO, Banks stated in his closing arguments on Thursday: "Let's not get into a debate about masks. Follow the instructions, follow the law. This is about the administration of elections and the rules that allow that to happen."Banks added, "He (Hazelo) had his own rules. His own rules are, 'I do what I want to do, I do it from the vantage point that I want, and I don't care about the rest of it.'"Hazelo's defense attorney, Austin Hatcher, countered by stating that the Washington Administrative Code requires rules to be provided in writing."There's no mask requirement on this sheet of paper. There's no mask requirement on the official visitor and observer rules," Hatcher declared. "He signed this rule sheet, he signed the sign-in paper, he openly went into the ballot processing center, and he sat down quietly, observed the process."Banks retorted that the mask mandate was displayed on multiple signs posted throughout the office, according to KOMO. Hazelo pointed out, "The fact is, I signed in. I had authorization to be there. Whether or not I followed the rules after I went in has nothing to do with whether I had authorization to be there to begin with, so 'unauthorized access' doesn't work."He told KOMO that election auditors didn't have the power to establish a mask mandate, and that decision "should be done by the health department."On Thursday, a jury found Hazelo guilty of unauthorized access to a voting center and criminal trespass. Hazelo told KOMO that he does plan to appeal the conviction. Blaze News reached out to Hazelo's and Banks' offices but did not receive a response for comment at the time of publication. RELATED: Nebraska teacher placed on leave after comparing anti-maskers to KKKLike Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!