(The Center Square) – The Washington State Senate in a 29-19 vote passed legislation restricting access to voter registration data, just over a month after the U.S. Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit alleging Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs failed to comply with a request for the state voter roll.
Senate Bill 5892 sponsored by Sen. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, would prohibit county elections offices from providing records in response to a records request for reports from the statewide voter registration database. It also prohibits public officials from “knowingly disclosing” voter registration data “inconsistent with the performance of their duties.”
Further, the bill prescribes unauthorized disclosure of certain personal information related to voter registration.
Speaking on the Senate floor prior to the Feb. 5 vote, Riccelli told colleagues that efforts by the Trump Administration to access voter information are “unnecessary” and an “intrusion on voter privacy.
“We need to make sure that we keep this information protected,” he added. “Regardless of who occupies the White House, these are important protections to have in place for key protected personal information.”
Speaking in opposition was Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, acknowledged some of the intent behind the bill but also said the proposed penalties are too “heavy handed.”
“I just don’t think that those county election offices should have to be subject to such very strict matters as proposed in this build,” he added.
Aside from Hobbs, former Secretary of State Sam Reed also testified in favor of the bill at its public hearing last month in Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections.
SB 5892 has not yet been assigned to a House committee.
