Elections package aims to ensure that all voices are heard

OLYMPIA – With the goal of ensuring that all voters’ voices are heard and all elections are fair, a group of Senate Democrats today laid out a package of elections legislation.

“The elections system has been evolving, and we’re using more technology and machines to do what people used to do. We need to update our elections system so it’s able to keep pace with the new millennium,” said Vice Chair of the Government Operations & Elections Committee Sen. Eric Oemig, D-Kirkland.

Oemig, elected to his first term in the Legislature in November, will take the lead on elections issues for Senate Democrats.

“Look no further than the past two years to understand how the electorate holds their votes dear and relies on the elections system to be accurate,” said Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle. “Preserving voter confidence has never been more important — and neither has fairness.”

“We should be smart enough to design a ballot that ensures that each vote counts instead of a ballot that gives voters an obstacle course to overcome,” said Chair of the Government Operations & Elections Committee Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park.

The bills discussed today cover everything from the primary election, to online voter registration, to candidates running for nonpartisan offices.

• Senate Bill 5408: Currently, on some primary election ballots, voters must check the box of the party they affiliate with for their vote to count. This bill would allow county auditors to count primary ballots if a voter fails to check the affiliation box, so long as the voter selects candidates of only one party in partisan races (Sen. Fairley, by request of secretary of state).
• SB 5226 would require public financing for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals elections (Sen. Oemig, by request of governor).
• SB 5196 would require the election of a candidate for a nonpartisan office in the general election if there are no more than two candidates for the position. Those two candidates would bypass the primary election and have the election decided in the general election, when more people vote (Sen. Kohl-Welles).
• Senate Joint Memorial 8002 asks Congress to change Veteran’s Day to coincide with Election Day, on the first Tuesday in November (Sen. Oemig).
• Election Day registration (not yet dropped): Currently, voters can register to vote only until 15 days before an election. This bill would allow voter registration up to and including Election Day (Sen. Oemig).
• Online voter registration (not yet dropped): This measure would allow online registration for persons with a valid driver’s license or identification card (Sen. Oemig, by request of secretary of state).
• Requiring name descriptors (not yet dropped): Currently, name descriptors are used only for candidates with similar names. This bill would level the playing field by allowing name descriptors for all candidates running for the same office (Sen. Kohl-Welles).
• National Popular Vote, or NPV (not yet dropped): Currently, in any state where there is little doubt that one Presidential candidate will win, there is a disincentive to vote, as “my vote won't matter.” This is an agreement (compact) between states that says each state will give its electoral college votes to the candidates for President and Vice President who receive the most number of votes in the nation. It would take effect only when enough states have joined the “compact” that a majority is created (Sen. Oemig).
• Ranked choice voting (not a bill): If necessary, the Legislature would study Pierce County’s charter authorizing ranked choice voting to help ensure that Pierce County voters don’t have unnecessary barriers implementing the system they voted for (Sen. Oemig).

SB 5226 will be heard in the Government Operations & Elections Committee at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, in Senate Hearing Room 2 of the John A. Cherberg Building. The rest of the bills have yet to be scheduled for hearings.

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