From the LWV WA Lobby Team: Legislation supported by LWV that has not made it out of committee and must do so by Feb. 15th.

VOTING & ELECTIONS

SB 5038 will protect Elected Officials, government employees and the right to assemble by prohibiting openly carried weapons on the state capitol grounds and at rallies and gatherings on public property. The bill not only protects public safety but also enables free unintimidated speech. Violence and threats of violence have erupted in our nation’s capitol and in state capital cities, including Washington’s. The bill is now in the Rules Committee so could be voted on at any time. Please urge Senator Warnick to support passage of SB 5038 now – this issue can’t wait.

HB 1078 This bill will strengthen our democracy, increase public safety, and promote racial justice by automatically restoring the right to vote for every citizen living in the community. HB 1078 has passed out of the Committee on State Government and Tribal Relations and is in the Rules Committee. House members need to hear from you that you want it moved to the floor for a vote. Please contact Representatives Dent and Ybarra to urge passage of this bill.

SB 5148 This bill makes harassment of an election worker a class B felony.  This bill would clearly outline in our law that those who wish to violate our democratic process by harassing or threatening not only election officials, but also the front line temporary staff and permanent staff who are counting, tabulating, and processing our ballots will be subject to a class B felony.  Comment on this bill today here.

HB 1156 would allow local jurisdictions the option to use Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for local elections. LWVWA positions clearly support alternative election systems, including RCV. It offers voters more choice, eliminates the spoiler effect, encourages more positive, issued-focus campaigns, and may lower election and campaign costs when jurisdictions choose to eliminate primaries. Comment on this bill today here.

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