King County Executive Ron Sims said yesterday his newly appointed Commission on Elections will conduct "an exhaustive review of the strengths and weaknesses" of the county's troubled election system.

But even as Sims set the blue-ribbon panel in motion, the Metropolitan King County Council was working on the details of two election reviews of its own: a management audit by an outside contractor and a review by a revived Citizens' Election Oversight Committee. That committee advised the council on needed improvements after election snafus in 2002.

Sims yesterday refused Secretary of State Sam Reed's offer to take a detailed look at election procedures, leaving it up to the County Council to decide whether it wants Reed's help.

Sims, who had defended the county's record in the election, put together his panel after officials said 94 valid absentee ballots weren't counted in November's election, which included the tight governor's race.

The elections office headed by Sims' appointee Dean Logan has been a prime target of the Republican Party's legal challenge of Democrat Christine Gregoire's 129-vote victory over Republican Dino Rossi in a manual recount in the governor's election. Rossi had narrowly led after two earlier machine counts.

The Republican challenge cites a number of problems in King County, including votes cast by felons, votes cast in the names of dead voters, improper counting of hundreds of provisional ballots at polling places and the county's inability to account for hundreds of ballots.

"Incredible talent"

Drawing comparisons to the federal government's 9/11 Commission, Sims said the 10-member elections commission brings together "incredible talent," including election directors from Oregon and Washington.

The group is charged with reviewing the flawed 2004 election and figuring out how to rebuild public trust in the election process and correct problems.

The commission is to issue a full report in July, then give updates in September and January.

Sims said no single factor led him to launch the commission. "The rhetoric has gotten so strident and so harsh ... that I couldn't allow this thing to corrode and devolve," Sims said.

Cheryl Scott, a retired Group Health Cooperative president and CEO who is chairing the commission, said problems in the November election and the subsequent poisonous debate "have been just bugging the hell out of me."

"I'm going to try to be Switzerland," she said of her independent role.

Reed's role

Sims and some council members were at odds over whether the county needs to bring in a team of election experts for a look at the county's election procedures.

Reed said yesterday that, even with the Commission on Elections and the County Council's planned outside audit, his office should do a detailed review, just as it did after the late mailing of thousands of absentee ballots for the November 2002 election.

"Even if they have an independent company come in to do a review of the management and all that, still they need in addition to have my office come in and do the election review," Reed said.

Reed said he wouldn't do a review unless Sims or the County Council asks him to do so.

Thanks, but no thanks, Sims' spokeswoman Carolyn Duncan said yesterday. She noted that state elections director Nick Handy, a Reed appointee, is on the commission. "That represents the Secretary of State's Office," she said.

Expertise questioned

While Sims was introducing Scott to the media, County Councilwoman Jane Hague, R-Bellevue and former county elections manager, questioned the makeup of his elections commission.

Its members are "respected community leaders and well known in their fields," Hague said, but, "I'm concerned about the absence of elections specialists on the blue-ribbon panel."

Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, R-Woodinville, said elections are "a very specific technical issue. I wouldn't want my dentist to do my heart surgery."

Lambert, who earlier called for a review by the secretary of state, said it may be better to have it conducted by the Houston-based Election Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping improve elections.

Of the 10 commission members, three have election experience: Handy; John Lindback, Oregon state director of elections; and Suzanne Sinclair, Island County auditor.

County Council Chairman Larry Phillips, D-Seattle, said he was dubious about the offer of help from Republican Reed. "I'm a little bit leery right now of bringing in other elected officials on either side of the aisle," he said.

Phillips said Sims' Budget Advisory Task Force of two years ago showed a panel of nonspecialists can make useful recommendations on troubling issues.

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com;

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com