Washington lawmakers continue to advance significant election-related bills sought by the Secretary of State’s Elections Division, County Auditors and other advocates.

The Senate elections panel, for instance, has  just endorsed a House-passed plan to allow felons to apply for restoration of their voting rights once they have completed their sentences and their community supervision. Current law requires that ex-cons also pay back all of their legal financial obligations, such as court costs and restitution.  No database exists to track when these are finally paid off — there is no “good-to-go” list. 

Secretary of State Sam Reed, who endorses the bill along with some auditors and a number of community-based groups, says state and county election officials need a clear “bright line” of eligibility, and that Rep. Jeannie Darneille’s House Bill 1517 does the trick.  The legislation also serves society’s interest of getting ex-cons productively re-engaged in their home communities, Reed says. He says he will continue to advocate for ex-cons to fully pay off their financial obligations.

The bill report is here.

Lawmakers also are advancing bills reducing the number of springtime election dates, ending the requirement to continue sending ballots to inactive voters, advancing all vote-by-mail, and reducing election costs.  Earlier, legislators deep-sixed bills dealing with the Top 2 Primary and authorizing a pilot program for secure online voting by military and overseas Washington voters.