A bill to increase access to the ballot for uniform and overseas citizen voters passed the Senate Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Senate Bill 5017, sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Fircrest), aligns Washington’s election laws with national standards by adopting the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act (UMOVA). The bill maintains Washington’s automatic ballot delivery for these voters while improving the accuracy of voter rolls and ballot access.
“Washington has been a leader in expanding access to the ballot, and this bill continues that work by ensuring military and overseas voters can fully participate in our elections,” Nobles said. “Updating our processes to align with national standards strengthens our election system and reaffirms our commitment to making voting accessible and secure for every eligible voter.”
The bill requires ballots to be mailed as soon as practicable after a request is received and provides electronic notifications if a ballot is delayed. It also establishes a process for updating voter records when military service ends or an overseas voter is no longer eligible. Additionally, it directs the secretary of state to explore a secure electronic ballot-return portal for voters without mail access.
The bill now moves to the House for consideration. Follow its progress here.
While I initially thought this sounded helpful for overseas military and military families to cast a vote in their home state…NOPE. Sadly, there are ulterior, partisan progressive, motives here. I’m a retired military officer and this really disappoints me.This is part of the push to get more people born outside the US and have never lived in the US (not military) registered to vote. It does nothing to change active duty military voter access in Washington except for a new “Electronic Voter Portal” that is potentially a target for voter fraud. See below summary of comments from Republican lawmakers:
“If you were born outside of the US and never lived in Washington, what do you know about state and local Washington elections? The WA State Democratic Party has significantly increased the number of registered voters by advertising to these children of ‘EXPATs’ (ex-patriot Americans living overseas). Below is the CON statement prepared by Verified Voting and Common Cause:
CON: This bill is a solution in search of a problem. It expands the category of expat voters and does an end-run around constitutional residency requirements, which will promote voter fraud. The bill promotes the creation of an irresponsible and risky internet portal that would not only create a single point of failure but make an attractive target for foreign interference. This is why four federal agencies are opposed to such a portal.”