2024 Legislative Session Wrapup
Aaaaand that’s a wrap on the 2024 legislative session!
We have one big win to celebrate – our lawmakers unanimously passed SB 5890 to improve how we fix rejected ballots. We believe that every vote should count, no matter your race, age, or income. Unfortunately, Washington disproportionately rejects ballots of people of color and young voters for signature issues. This new law makes sure everyone’s vote is actually counted by setting standards for voters to be notified about and correct their ballot errors. Huge win!
Sadly, two of our favorite bills did not pass this year.
The first was HB 2030, which would have restored voting rights to people in prison. The bill had its first-ever public hearing, with amazing testimony from incarcerated activists, voting rights advocates, and community members. We are proud of our lawmakers for introducing and hearing this bill, which would have re-enfranchised about 14,000 citizens.
The other bill that failed to pass, HB 1932, would have allowed local communities to switch to even-year elections, when turnout is much higher and more diverse. This bill got so close to passing, so we are hopeful for next year!
Once again, it is thanks to your activism that our state is such a great place to be a voter. Our gratitude to everyone who signed in PRO, wrote to their lawmakers, and followed along with us this year.
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