The 60-day 2024 legislative session began on January 8 and ends March 7

“We want to make sure the process is clear and simple for the people we represent. These bills exemplify our state’s dedication to comprehensive and efficient elections in Washington, emphasizing transparency and ease for all Washingtonians,” remarked Cheney.

Rep. Greg Cheney, R-Battle Ground, serves as the ranking member on the State Government and Tribal Relations Committee, has introduced two bills, House Bill 2032 and House Bill 1962, to enhance Washington state’s electoral processes with pragmatic, commonsense improvements.

The first measure, House Bill 2032, proposes that any sign larger than the standard yard sign (24” x 18”) must comply with political advertisement disclosure requirements. This initiative aims to bolster transparency by mandating additional political advertising disclosures, ensuring voters have comprehensive information about those spending money on political advertising.

“In a strong democracy, it’s important that the public knows who is paying for political advertising. When voters can rely on the fact that they have insights into who is spending money on political advertising, it strengthens trust in our electoral system. My bill helps achieve that by bringing basic transparency to yard signage,” explained Cheney.

A public hearing on HB 2032 was held in the House Committee on State Government and Tribal Relations on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 1:30 p.m., with the committee’s vote currently set for Friday, Jan. 12.

The 18th District lawmaker has also co-sponsored House Bill 1962, designed to create a seamless process by quickly updating voter registration when a person moves within Washington state, eliminating lengthy processing delays in updating voter rolls. Currently, registration transfers occur very slowly when moving outside the county of registration.

“It’s important that auditors and election officials quickly and securely update the statewide voter database when an individual moves. This bill dramatically reduces the risk of a ballot being sent to an old address, or from duplicate ballots being sent, by requiring rapid updates to the statewide voter rolls. It also aligns with the reality that people often relocate ― making it easier for everyone to participate in elections,” noted Cheney.

Under this proposal, if a county auditor receives a change of address notification for a registered voter from USPS or another source, the county auditor will rapidly notify the auditor of the voter’s new county of residence instead of canceling the voter’s registration. The voter’s registration will then be automatically updated at the new address.

Kittitas County Auditor Bryan Elliott expressed his firm support for the proposed change, stating, “I’m excited by the prospects of HB 1962. This bill recognizes that we have a statewide voter database, managed at the county level instead of 39 individual county voter lists. The impact of this bill will serve to reduce the administrative burden on our offices and improve the accuracy of the voter rolls by enhancing our ability to serve voters by updating their registrations to where they reside.”

HB 1962 is scheduled for a vote in the House Committee on State Government and Tribal Relations on Friday, Jan. 12.

The 60-day 2024 legislative session began on January 8 and ends March 7.

Information provided by Washington State House Republicans
houserepublicans.wa.gov