Abill sent to Washington Gov. Jay Inslee for consideration would exempt various aspects of the election system from public records requests and centralize all local records requests with the Secretary of State's office.
While supporters of Senate Bill 5459 say the bill will protect private information about voters and the technology used in ballot counting, critics argue that it will make citizens less trusting of the election process.
"In my idea, [it] just generates more distrust in the system," Rep. Leonard Christian, R-Spokane Valley, told colleagues on the House floor. The bill passed the House along party lines, while only four legislators opposed it during the Senate vote.
Under existing law, citizens can submit public record requests regarding their local voting system with the county auditor. Since the 2020 election, the number of requests has increased from 400 in 2019 to 1,300 in 2022, according to the Washington Association of County Auditors.
https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/washington-elections-bill-generates-more-distrust-system
