COUPEVILLE—Island County Superior Court Judge Joseph Wilson on Monday, August 25, sentenced Tim Hazelo, a Republican ballot observer in Island County, to 40 hours of community service and is ordered to pay $200 court costs and a $500 fine, along with submitting a DNA sample. He will not serve any time in jail. Hazelo must also relinquish his firearms. The Navy veteran was facing up to two years in prison. Both civil and federal appeals are underway.
“I’m glad for the light sentence,” Hazelo provided the Lynnwood Times in a statement. “I never should have been charged to begin with. We are not done fighting this. I hope WA is finally ready to get in this and recover our state from the social and civil decay our liberal government has created. Our appeals are being submitted, the feds know about the case, and these overzealous progressive prosecutors are on the ropes. Stay tuned.”
A jury found Hazelo guilty of unauthorized access to a voting center (felony) and criminal trespass (gross misdemeanor) during a jury trial Thursday, July 10, stemming from an incident where he refused to wear a mask, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, during the ballot counting process in a closed area. Because of the felony conviction, Hazelo lost his security clearance that resulted in the loss of his job.
Washington State lifted its COVID-19 State of Emergency in October 2022. The Department of Health lifted its mask mandate on April 2, 2023.
Hazelo is the former Chair of the Island County Republicans and ran against Rep. Rick Larsen back in 2020 to represent Washington’s Second Congressional District. He also served as a 2024 National Delegate at the Republican National Convention.
Leading up to the November 2024 election, Hazelo was scheduled to be a ballot observer in Island County when he was forcefully removed by law enforcement for not wearing a mask. Body camera footage from the officers shows Hazelo at first argued his right to be there but eventually complied with their orders.
The responding officers did not wear masks when entering the ballot counting room when asking Hazelo to leave. A week after Hazelo’s trespass, security camera footage of the room also captured a ballot counter who was not wearing a mask while inside the room. That man was not asked to leave or charged with a crime.
When challenged why this unmasked election worker was not similarly trespassed, or charged, the Island County Auditor’s Office said that he was not wearing a mask because he was drinking a beverage. However, security camera footage does not show a beverage near the worker. It is also against the Island County Elections rules that food and beverages be allowed in the counting room.
Hazelo originally did have the authority to access the ballot counting area as he was selected by the Auditor to be an official observer and officially signed in on November 4, however he was trespassed by police after he did not leave when requested to by officials. Hazelo did not return to the ballot counting area after being trespassed.
Per state law, RCW 29.A.60.170, County Auditors shall request a list of individuals willing to serve as ballot counting observers from each major political party — to ensure accuracy and transparency. Observers are not allowed to touch the ballots, the statute states, just simply observe the counting process. The RCW does not state, however, that a mask must be worn during this observation process. That mandate was enforced by Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider, also a Republican, who said she imposed the mandate due to several of her staff members getting sick during the August primaries.
Those who did not wish to wear a mask could still observe the counting process from the hallway, but Hazelo believed he had a right to be in the counting room proper and argued that his view was obstructed from the hallway viewing area.
Hazelo was originally charged with “disorderly conduct” – a misdemeanor – but that charge was upgraded to a class C felony by Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks.
Social media posts from the Prosecutor who upgraded the charge, Banks, has been staunchly opposed to Republicans, President Donald J Trump, and anti-maskers, commonly voicing his disdain. Because of this, Hazelo believes the upgraded charge to be politically motivated, which Banks denies.
Editor’s Note: Article updated at 6:35 p.m., August 25, 2025, with a statement from Tim Hazelo.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
