2026 WA State Election Legislation Review
Democrats' Out of Control Death Spiral & Carnage Continues...
Washington State Democrats continue to take a wrecking ball to state elections and lay an unconstitutional framework to further their leftist agenda, narratives, and ideological policies. Here is a summary of several new, terrible election-related crafted bills that were passed in the 2026 legislative session (which comes to a painful end today) and now await the governor’s signature to become law.
3SHB 1710: Relating to compliance with the Washington Voting Rights Act of 2018. This bill codifies a state “preclearance” procedure and relies on race-based triggers to place WA political jurisdictions under behavioral oversight. Requires local jurisdictions to obtain prior approval from the state Attorney General before making any change to elections or election-related procedures. Also allows for local jurisdictional redistricting/gerrymandering.
E2SHB 1750: Creating guidelines for voter suppression and vote dilution claims under the Washington Voting Rights Act. This bill adds a new “abridgement” claim to the state voting rights act. It lowers the bar for obtaining an injunction and introduces softer standards for plaintiffs, so localities will make concessions on their election-related practices. If a violation is found (or the parties stipulate to one), remedies include adopting district-based elections, modifying boundaries, expanding the number of elected positions, etc.
Both bills are a piece to further leftist distorted versions of reality, codifying that our elections are (and always have been) racist and biased against minority groups. Dems are trying to replicate what other leftist-controlled states have done when they didn’t get the results they wanted out of a voting jurisdiction, and could place all local jurisdictions into a potentially suspect category of racist voting rights violators. Dangerously, the state AG, exercising ‘political preference,’ decides how local jurisdictions can implement election policies.
Nine states (CA, CO, CT, IL, MN, NY, OR, VA, & WA) have enacted state voting rights acts that generally mimic provisions of the federal Voting Rights Act (1965). Unlike the federal VRA (which can apply to congressional districts), these state versions typically apply only to local jurisdictions (such as counties, cities, school boards, and other substate entities).
ESHB 1916: Amending voter registration challenges and managing voter registration lists. Don’t let the benign title fool you - Despite the OSOS and many county auditors opposing much of the bill, radical Democrats passed it anyway. By design, this terrible law will definitely help keep WA State voter rolls dirty and bloated. Democrats want to cripple & criminalize citizen voter roll challenges, making the process much more difficult.
Now, citizens may no longer challenge registrants on “Inactive” status. A person challenging another person’s voter registration must live in the same county as the challenged voter. If you challenge a voter registration without “Reasonable Cause,” you could be guilty of a misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $5,000 and/or up to a year in jail! If you submit voter challenges and knowingly provide false information, you could be guilty of “False Swearing” - a Gross Misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $10,000 and/or up to a year in jail!
It is shameful that State Dems are completely weaponizing laws using fear and intimidation tactics to stop successful, law-abiding citizen efforts to improve elections by helping county auditors clean and update their voter rolls.
Voter challenges are a legal and effective way to remove illegal registrants from voter rolls. Any individual should be able to challenge voter registrations if they suspect a registration is improper and the registered voter is not qualified to vote. Over the past several years in WA State, election integrity activists in multiple counties (including Adams, Clark, Grays Harbor, Island, Kittitas, Mason, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, and others) have been very successful in voter roll challenges, helping county auditors clean and update their rolls.
SB 5892: Protecting the voter registration database. Codifies SoS Hobbs’ new “emergency” WAC 434-324-145 (in effect 12-5-26) - DL #, SS#, and DOB of a registrant are confidential and can’t be disclosed to the DOJ or anyone else. Mandates that all PRR involving the statewide voter registration database must be handled exclusively by the SoS. If a county elections office receives such a request, it “shall not produce any records in response to the request” and must instead redirect to the SoS. A “knowing violation” makes it a class C felony for an election official or designee to disclose or misuse voter registration data outside the scope of official duties.
Most obviously, the bill is designed to stop the DOJ lawsuit against WA SoS, requesting the full, unredacted voter roll database. Interesting that Democrat Controlled States have no issues providing this type of information to leftist groups like the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), but refuse to follow federal law…for failure to disclose their full voter registration lists upon request, per 52 U.S.C. 20701, 52 U.S.C. 20703, and 52 U.S.C 20507.
SSB 5925: Concerning the general powers and duties of the attorney general’s office. A sinister, unconstitutional law that reduces the authority of the local County Prosecutor (whose job is to help prosecute election crimes, etc.) and drastically increases the authority of the State AG with sweeping new powers to investigate virtually anyone at any time based on “reasonable” belief that a violation of law may have occurred. This includes: people, businesses, religious organizations, etc., via Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) - formal demands (without needing a judicial warrant or filing a lawsuit) compelling these entities to produce documents, provide oral testimony, or answer written questions.
The scope of those investigations includes alleged violations of the U.S. Constitution, the WA Constitution, Law enforcement restrictions under the Keep Washington Working Act (related to federal immigration enforcement), “Discrimination Statutes,” etc. Expect Threats, Intimidation, and Targeting…
It enables the AG to silence those he investigates with gag orders, drown them in court costs and compliance, punish political opponents, and force people to turn over personal information and effects without any due process. Several Republican amendments were rejected, including one requiring “clear and convincing evidence.” Very sad the Democrat AG can’t operate within the perfectly adequate laws we have now.
This draconian ‘“obey or else” law violates the U.S. Constitution 4th Amendment: Protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, The 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause, the WA State Constitution Art I, Sec 3: “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,” and Art I, Sec 7: “No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law.”
2SSB 5974: Modernizing and strengthening laws concerning sheriffs, police chiefs, town marshals, law enforcement agency volunteers, youth cadets, specially commissioned officers, and police matrons. Duly elected County Sheriffs, Police Chiefs, and Town Marshals are subject to a state-appointed, unelected bureaucratic board and can be “decertified” and removed from office. Another unconstitutional bill where over 50 Republican Amendments were not adopted! Before a person’s name can even appear on the ballot for County Sheriff, that individual must first pass review by a state agency.
The National Sheriffs’ Association and the Western States Sheriffs’ Association have formally joined forces in opposition to the legislation, calling it “a direct attack on a constitutionally established office” and “an affront to the citizens who elect their sheriffs.” The Supremacy Clause makes clear that the U.S. Constitution and federal law prevail. A Sheriff’s sworn duty is to uphold them — even when doing so is politically inconvenient. No appointed board should have the authority to override the will of voters in fulfilling that constitutional obligation.
This bill also violates the U.S. Constitution, 14th Amendment (Due Process Clause): Removal via administrative decertification without sufficient procedural safeguards (e.g., no automatic court review before vacancy) deprives the duly elected officeholder of due process and overrides electoral will, Art IV, Sec 4 (Guarantee Clause), denies a Republican form of government by allowing unelected bureaucrats to nullify voter-elected officials, interfering with local democratic processes, and the 10th Amendment (Powers Reserved to States/People): Principles that protect the will of the people from state overreach.
Additionally, it violates the WA State Constitution Art I, Sec 1 “All political power is inherent in the people,” Art I, Sec 3: “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law,” Art II, Sec 1 and related provisions on Elections/Recall: The bill adds decertification as a new cause for vacancy and circumvents the Constitutional Recall process (Art I, Sec 33) for elected officials, allowing removal without voter-initiated recall or impeachment-like proceedings. And Art XI, Sec 5 (County government; Sheriffs as Constitutional Officers): Sheriffs are elected county officers, elected by county voters.
Under the law, its 21 commissioners are appointed by the Governor of Washington (who appoints them to six-year terms, with some staggered).
Unelected boards are not authorized by the U.S. or State Constitutions to remove a duly elected sheriff via decertification, bypassing voter sovereignty and local control, overriding the people’s election without due process or voter input, and shifting power from counties to centralized state authority. Also, the bill creates an office vacancy without a voter recall or judicial process, and deprives voters of their right to choose local law enforcement leaders and the sheriff of their liberty/property interests for their elected office.
Definitely expect lawsuits. The Sheriff belongs to the people of each county, not corrupt bureaucrats and unelected boards! The County Sheriff is vital for ALL enforcement, and is tasked with investigating election crimes.
ESB 5068: Concerning agencies, firefighters, prosecutors, and general or limited authority law enforcement, extending eligibility for employment to all United States citizens or persons legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law. This frightening bill was much worse, but thanks to a Republican amendment is improved. Changes WA State citizenship requirements to allow illegal immigrants (non-citizens) to now be Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys, Limited Authority Law Enforcement Officers (specialized officers with restricted powers - may have powers of arrest, carry firearms, and perform enforcement duties), Corrections Officers, Civil Service, Firefighters, Public Safety, etc.
This bill comes on the heels of last year’s HB 1889, giving illegals the right to have professional licenses and certifications, which followed the prior year’s HB 2368 that authorized DSHS to coordinate statewide efforts to “assist” Immigrants and Refugees with millions of dollars of tax-payer cash for refugee settlement (replicating the California/Minnesota vote-buying model).
Let's be clear, most State Democrats want non-citizens to become law enforcement officers (e.g., city police, county sheriffs) to police Americans. Once in these positions, illegals will be deciding on investigating and prosecuting election law violations and possible crimes. Under the current Republican amended version of the bill, illegals can’t be hired for these roles - YET…
SB 6084: Clarifying the prohibition on voting more than once in an election. A Dem-sponsored bill in response to the Court Case: WA v. Padrta. Padrta admitted he voted in both OR and WA in Nov 2022 and was convicted of double voting under RCW 29A.84.650(1). He appealed that conviction, and the Court of Appeals 3-judge panel issued its 2-1 decision on Jan 6, 2026, ruling Padrta did not vote in the same “election” and therefore did not violate RCW 29A.84.650.
The verdict prompted a Democrat (aka “The Anyone From Anywhere Can Vote Party”) response, with SB 6084 which codifies the appellate court’s ruling allowing dual voting by the same voter in multiple jurisdictions/states as long as the election is not held on “the same day”- rewrites/amends 29A.84.650(1) adding language: The legislature finds that it has been and continues to be the law of this state that a person may not vote in an election in Washington and an election in any other state if the election date is the same for both states.
The bill also states: “Election” means any general, primary, or special election. An election is the “same election” if the election date is the same, regardless of the candidates, offices, issues, or measures on the ballot, regardless of the date on which ballots are mailed or returned.
SB 6084 may have good intentions to fix a bad court decision (which is why Republicans voted for it), but it is a terrible new law that facilitates voter fraud and violates the principle that an individual may only have one voting domicile.
LET’S BE CLEAR - DOUBLE VOTING WILL SOON BE LEGAL UNDER WA STATE LAW: SB 6084 codified that it is ONLY ILLEGAL to vote in different states in elections that fall on the same date in different states.
This is very dangerous legislation, allowing an unlimited number of potential “voters” to “legally” vote multiple times in the same election cycle, wherever they receive ballots. The negative collateral impacts and ramifications are obvious: voters could now live in several states and vote in all of them at any time (as long as the election day is not the same date), with no consequences.
And of course, mail-in voting facilitates all of this! It is an interesting fact that both Oregon and Washington were among the first states to adopt vote-by-mail.
After SB 6084 becomes law and the appellate court decision holds or is upheld by the WA State Supreme Court, it will be interesting to see if OR and other states also allow dual voters (having multiple simultaneous domiciles) in multiple states and jurisdictions to vote in the same election cycles with different dated elections. Many counties in WA State and other states hold 3, 4, 5, or even 6 elections per year, each on a different date. And 46 States hold their respective primary election on different dates - only WA, MI, KS, and MO hold their primary election on the same dates…
Over the past several election cycles, the WA State Democrat-Controlled Politburo Legislature has managed to dismantle and destroy elections. Washington State is now easily among the worst election-law states in the U.S., along with California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, and Virginia.
However, there was some good news in the 2026 session. Over 70 terrible Democrat-sponsored election-related bills died, and efforts to enact Ranked Choice Voting, Online Voting, Congressional Map Redistricting, Restrict Citizen Initiative Petition-gathering, and other menacing bills all failed. But expect them back in 2027 as Marxist Democrats continue their bloodthirsty warfare and vicious onslaught to fully overthrow the state’s election systems.
OF NOTE: Earlier in the week, not only did State House and Senate Democrats pass ESSB 6346, a blatant, unconstitutional income tax, but they blocked the people’s right to repeal it by right of Referendum with an “Emergency Clause” - This exempts the bill from a referendum, meaning citizens cannot gather signatures to put a repeal measure on the ballot. This is a sinister move (that also very deceptively includes “tax breaks”) by the Dems, without the possibility of a true and fair direct voter challenge via referendum. A referendum needs far fewer signatures to get on the ballot, and, more importantly, there's no Public Investment Impact Disclosure (Leftist AG's written statement on the ballot). Just the voters and the question.
Also, the bill amends Initiative 2111, which voters passed in 2024 to prohibit income taxes. Voters said no, and the Democrat legislature said yes anyway…
It is quite stunning that Democrats refuse to listen to over 90% of the people who are against this new tax that will make Washington State the highest-taxed state in the U.S., all to just further their radical agenda. All the while, business owners and job creators flee the state, taking a massive tax base with them.
Also, Dems defied legal precedent by not allowing voters to first approve a constitutional amendment authorizing an income tax. The bill is now on the governor's desk. If this becomes law, expect more business closures and businesses and families to relocate out of state for more business-friendly environments. Also, for those who choose to stay in WA State, expect major backlash, including citizen initiatives and/or lawsuit efforts to overturn the unconstitutional ESSB 6346.
To end this corrupt, unconstitutional, out-of-control, radical lawlessness, vote the leftists out of office at ALL levels of government. Each race is important. Do thorough research, support, and vote for the most Conservative candidate who can win the race. Vote early, vote late, vote absentee, please just vote!
Bill Bruch
Bill Bruch is the WA State GOP Election Integrity Committee Chairman (6th year), WAGOP Executive Board Member (6th year), Skagit County GOP Chairman (10th year), Citizen Journalist, Olympic Conference 2021 Activist of the Year Award Winner, Business Owner, 2020 WA State House Representative Candidate, Former Council Member, and WA State 2016 and 2024 RNC National Convention Delegate
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Excellent Article, Bill! It is difficult to understand how so many people can just sit back and allow this state to be destroyed by Marxist/Socialist Democrats when all it would take to end this monopoly in our state and on our lives is to VOTE AGAINST THEM. For God's sake people, VOTE! People died to give you that privilege.