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State shouldn't target potential voters, says
Chandler
Legislation to promote voter registration is too
narrow
Legislation passed in the
House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee today has the
potential to skew voter registrations, said
Rep. Bruce
Chandler,
Republican leader on the committee.
"As it was passed today,
House Bill 1363 sends the message that the state can't afford to be
fair," said Chandler, R-Granger. "It doesn't make sense that there's
money to designate the Department of Social and Health Services as an
agency that is required to offer voter registration services to people
who come in for other reasons, but not the Department of Fish and
Wildlife, for example.
"If it is the 'primary
duty of government' to actively encourage voter registration, as this
legislation states, the only way to avoid targeting potential voters is
to have all agencies involved."
Under the state's "motor
voter" law, several state agencies or programs within agencies are
required to provide voter registration services to people who come to
the agency seeking service: the Department of Licensing, four branches
of DSHS, a program within the Department of Health, and the Department
of Services for the Blind.
HB 1363 originally would
have added all state agencies to that list. But the bill was amended in
committee to designate only the Department of Social and Health Services
as a whole and the Employment Security Department.
Republican amendments to
add more agencies to the list, such as the Department of Revenue,
Department of Ecology, and Department of Veterans' Affairs, were voted
down on the grounds that it would cost too much. An amendment to require
proof of United States citizenship and Washington residency also failed.
Before the 6-3 vote to
move HB 1363 forward, the committee chairman offered to work with
Chandler and the committee's two other Republican members on addressing
their concerns before the bill comes before the entire House. Chandler
said that offer will be accepted.
"Different state agencies
see different segments of our population come through the door, and
voter registration efforts shouldn't be prejudiced toward or against any
particular constituent. The idea that someone could be approached about
registering to vote while signing up for unemployment insurance
benefits, but not be approached when buying a hunting license, just
doesn't sound fair," said Chandler.
The state government
committee held off until Tuesday on voting on House Bill 2019, another
election-related bill that has Chandler concerned. HB 2019 would require
that the declaration on the back of initiative petition forms be signed
and addressed, and makes the declaration an oath that could have
criminal penalties if violated.
"Requiring both name and
address of a person who circulates a petition is one piece of personal
information too many. People shouldn't have to put their privacy at risk
to participate in the direct democracy of our initiative process.
"We heard from a
surprising number of constituents who testified they had been subjected
to serious harassment while attempting to gather signatures for a
variety of initiatives. They fear the new mandate would make the
harassment worse, and I think it could have a chilling effect," said
Chandler. He will propose an amendment to drop the address requirement
from HB 2019.
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Contact: Eric Campbell, House Republican
Communications, campbell.eric@leg.wa.gov
or (360) 786-7720
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