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Washington State Democracy Legislation & ACTION NEEDED

We are down to the last two weeks of the Washington State legislative 2026 session. This week, all bills still alive with a fiscal note need to be voted out of their respective opposite fiscal committee by TODAY, Monday, March 2nd, and voted out of the opposite chamber by this Friday, March 6th. Bills passed with additional amendments may need to be reconciled with the opposite chamber before moving to the Governor's office for signature and final passage. Unfortunately, some of our priority bills are not moving forward and will need to be reintroduced again next session.

As a reminder, Washington state's legislative session begins on the second Monday in January. The Washington state legislature operates on a biennium, meaning each legislative session lasts two years and bills that are not passed in the first year are automatically carried over to the next year. This is the SECOND year of the biennium, which is a shorter session lasting 60 days. The last day of the session is March 12, 2026. Bills introduced last year that did not pass have carried over to this year, in addition to new bills introduced this session.

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PRIORITY BILL:

Protections Against Voter Reg. Challenges:

HB 1916 - Amending voter registration challenges and managing voter registration lists.

Status & Hearings: 

• The bill was referred to the House Rules committee last session. This session, the bill was reintroduced and retained in present status. 

• Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading on Jan 27th. Sent to the House floor for a possible vote.

• Passed the House! yeas, 58; nays, 38; absent, 0; excused, 2.

• Referred to Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee on Feb 12th.

• A public hearing was held in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee on Feb 16th. You can view the hearing HERE.

• Executive action taken in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee on Feb 24th. Passed out of committee and referred to the Senate Rules Committee. You can view the hearing HERE. 

Engrossed Substitute Bill Summary: 

• Amends the process, permitted evidence, and penalties for challenging a voter's registration.

• Clarifies when a voter's registration is canceled or removed from the voter registration list.

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PRIORITY BILL:

SCR 8406 - Reestablishing the joint select committee on civic health.

Bill Summary of Concurrent Resolution:  

• Reestablishes the Joint Select Committee on Civic Health to build upon the work of the Project for Civic Health.

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PASSED both chambers!

PRIORITY BILL:

Voter Suppression & Dilution Guidelines: 

HB 1750 – Creating guidelines for voter suppression and vote dilution claims under the Washington voting rights act. 

Status & Hearings: 

• Passed the House! yeas, 57; nays, 37; absent, 0; excused, 4. 2nd substitute bill substituted on Feb 12th.

• A public hearing was held in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee on Feb 20. You can view the hearing HERE.

• Executive action taken in the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee on Feb 24th. Passed out of committee and referred to Senate Rules. You can view the hearing HERE. 

• Placed on second reading by Senate Rules on Feb 27th and referred to Senate Floor for a vote.

• Passed the Senate! yeas, 30; nays, 19; absent, 0; excused, 0. Adopted with no other amendments on Feb 28th. 

• It will now go to the Governor's desk for signing. 

Bill Summary of Amended Bill: 

• Redefines the factors that result in a violation of the Washington Voting Rights Act's prohibition on the abridgment of voting rights.

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PASSED both chambers!

PRIORITY BILL:

Protecting Voter Registration Database:

SB 5892 - Voter registration database protection.

Status & Hearings: 

• Passed the Senate! yeas, 29; nays, 19; absent, 0; excused, 1.

• Referred to House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee on Feb 9th.

• A public hearing was held in the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee on Feb 18th. You can view the hearing HERE.

• Executive action taken in the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee on Feb 20th. Passed out of committee. Referred to House Rules Committee. You can view the hearing HERE.

• Placed on second reading by House Rules on Feb 25th and referred to Senate Floor for a vote.

• Passed the House! yeas, 57; nays, 36; absent, 0; excused, 5. Adopted with no other amendments on Feb 28th. 

• It will now go to the Governor's desk for signing. 

Bill Summary of Amended Bill: 

• Prohibits a county elections office from producing records in response to a request for reports generated by the statewide voter registration database and makes it a class C felony to do so.

• Makes it a class C felony for a state or local election officer, or their designee, to disclose confidential voter information located in a voter registration record or file to an unauthorized person.

Bill Summary:  

• Permits the adoption of ranked choice voting (RCV) in elections for offices in counties, cities, towns, school districts, fire districts, and port districts until December 31, 2032, and establishes certain requirements for RCV ballot design and vote tabulation.

• Requires jurisdictions that adopt RCV to provide educational materials for the public and pay implementation costs.

More info:  

House Bill 2210 recognizes that local governments need clear and flexible authority to adopt alternative election systems like ranked-choice voting (RCV) and proportional representation — tools that help reduce vote splitting, reflect voter preferences more accurately, and support effective local governance. It would:

• Authorize local jurisdictions for a period of six years to choose to adopt ranked-choice voting, proportional representation, or other approved election methods. Once a jurisdiction opts in during that period, it can continue using that election method thereafter.

• Provide clearer legal authority for local options that currently lack sufficient statutory clarity, reducing uncertainty and litigation risk around adopting alternative voting methods.

• Support democratic resilience by offering practical tools for local governments during a period of evolving federal voting rights protections.

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Jail Voting Access:

HB 1146 – Improving access and removing barriers to voting in jails

Substitute Bill Summary: 

• Requires county auditors to create a Voting Plan (Plan) for each jail and state hospital within the county, including details about how the jail or hospital will help people who are incarcerated register to vote and access and complete a ballot.

• Requires jails and state hospitals to implement their Plans and provide voter registration information, ballot-related information, and ballots to people who are incarcerated.

• Authorizes the Office of the Attorney General (AGO) to investigate and bring an action against a county, jail, or state hospital for a violation of this act and authorizes the court to award $25,000 per violation to the AGO for remittance to the Office of the Secretary of State to use towards increasing accessibility for voters in jails and state hospitals.

• Requires the Secretary of State to contract with the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and Governance to identify challenges and make recommendations related to voter registration and voting access for people who are incarcerated in jail or patients in a state hospital.

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National Voter Registration Day:

SB 6130 (Companion Bill HB 2341) - Celebrating national voter registration day.

Bill Summary: 

• Directs public high schools to observe National Voter Registration Day each September and to coordinate voter registration events on National Voter Registration Day as resources allow.

• Modifies the requirements of Temperance and Good Citizenship Day to align with the requirements of National Voter Registration Day.

• Directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Secretary of State to collaborate to provide youth voter registration materials to schools and collect and report on the number of students registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day.

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Voting Rights Restoration:

HB 1196 – Revoking a person's voting rights only when convicted of a state crime punishable by death.

Bill Summary: 

• This bill would revoke a person's voting rights only when convicted of a state crime punishable by death.

• It would amend Washington state's RCW (Revised Code of Washington) definition of "infamous crime" as a state crime punishable by death.

• This definition applies for purposes of voter qualifications and does not apply when the term "infamous crime" is used in other titles of the Revised Code of Washington, unless otherwise stated or the context requires otherwise.

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Act for Civic Engagment:

HB 1147 – Supporting civic engagement for incarcerated and institutionalized individuals in state custody to promote inclusion and rehabilitation.

Bill Summary: 

• Ensures that all individuals, including those in state institutions, have the opportunity to participate in civic life.

• Allows people in state institutions to form groups and engage in civic discussions.

• Enables interaction with the public, politicians, and advocacy groups.

• Provides tools for participation in virtual meetings with community groups, lawmakers, and forums.

• Prevents retaliation for taking part in civic processes.

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Election Day Holiday:

HB 1116 – Recognizing election day as a state holiday.

Bill Summary: 

• The state recognizes the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November, recognized as election day as a state holiday.

• The legislature encourages state governmental entities, local governments, schools and institutions of higher education, and cultural organizations to recognize election day and engage in educational programming related to democracy and voting.

• The office of the secretary of state shall create election day programming and materials that these entities may use in planning and structuring their recognitions. For purposes of this section, "election day" is the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.

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Voter Pamplets for Primary Elections:

SB 5069 – Requiring the secretary of state to print and distribute a voters' pamphlet for the primary in each even-numbered year and for the general election every year.

Bill Summary: 

• Requires the secretary of state to print and distribute a voters' pamphlet prior to the primary in each even-numbered year and prior to the general election every year.

• Provides that local voters' pamphlets printed and distributed by county auditors are not required to provide information on measures and candidates appearing in a voters' pamphlet produced by the secretary of state.

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Local News:

SB 5400 – Supporting local news journalism.

Substitute Bill Summary: 

• Establishes the Washington Local News Sustainability Program (Program) in the Department of Commerce to make grants supporting the employment of news journalists covering civic affairs in underserved communities.

• Establishes a business and occupation tax surcharge of 1.22 percent on certain social media platforms and search engines, and requires revenues from the surcharge be used for the Program.

SB 6035 - Ensuring access to voting services for military, overseas, Native American, and disabled voters.

Status & Hearings: 

• Passed the Senate. yeas, 30; nays, 19; absent, 0; excused, 0.

• A public hearing was held in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations on Feb 20. You can view the hearing HERE.

• Scheduled for executive session in the House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations on Feb 24th at 1:30 PM (Committee materials), and on Feb 25th at 1:30 pm (Committee materials)

Second Substitute Bill Summary: 

• Directs county auditors and the Secretary of State to schedule meetings with federally recognized Indian tribes to discuss various matters relating to voting access on Indian reservations and tribal land.

• Authorizes the Secretary of State to employ an electronic ballot portal for service voters, overseas voters, voters with a disability, and any voter who is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and resides on an Indian reservation.

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HB 2333 (Companion bill: SB 6095) - Protecting elected officials and candidates, executive state officers, election officials, and criminal justice participants against threats and incidents of political violence.

Status & Hearings: 

• Passed the House. yeas, 71; nays, 21; absent, 0; excused, 6.

• A public hearing was held in the Senate Law & Justice Committee on Feb 20th at 2:00 PM. 

• Scheduled for executive session in the Senate Law & Justice Committee on Feb 24th at 8:00 AM (Committee materials)

Second Substitute Bill Summary: 

• Expands the types of reimbursable out-of-pocket personal expenses for campaign and surplus funds to include expenses incurred to purchase a personal security measure.

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