Former Washington state Secretary of State Sam Reed is warning lawmakers that Senate Bill 5382 will suppress voter participation in the political process and impair an “honored tradition” that has been embedded in the Washington constitution since 1912, according to a news release from state Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview.
Wilson said Reed’s warning underscores the concerns presented by the public when the bill got a hearing Feb. 4.
“We’re being told this bill somehow would prevent fraudulent signatures, even though fraud is not a problem in Washington state, and our signature-checking procedures are more than sufficient,” Wilson said. “The real problem is that the people had the temerity last year to qualify seven initiatives challenging the progressive agenda. My colleagues don’t see a problem with their agenda, but rather with the fact that the people are standing up to them. And they want to hit the mute button.”
The bill requires signature gatherers to sign a statement on each petition indicating that, to the best of their knowledge, signers provided correct information. The measure threatens signature gatherers who attest falsely with up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. It also requires that petition signers provide addresses that match their voter registrations.
In his email, Reed criticizes provisions of the bill that will be considered Tuesday.
“During my tenure and during the tenure of other Secretaries of State, both Republicans and Democrats, it has always been a solemn and sacred responsibility to count a voter’s signature if it matches but reject it if it doesn’t. … (The bill) will only result in willing, active and engaged voters having their voices silenced because of a non-matching address,” he wrote.
In some cases, voters might sign petitions a year before petitions are submitted for the state’s signature checks.
“If that voter moves in the interim … that voters’ signature will not count,” Reed wrote. “That should not happen. As Thurston County auditor, I learned that a large proportion of the voters move every year. This is particularly true with renters.”
Reed also argues volunteer signature gatherers should be exempt from the requirements and potential penalties “so as to encourage, and not deter, volunteers from exercising their right under the first amendment to petition their government.”
The bill advanced out of the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee on Tuesday.
