Dear friends and neighbors,
I was honored to recently receive the Washington Association of County Auditors’ “Legislator of the Century” award! I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years to make our election system a model for other states to follow. Voting is a right, not a privilege. A strong government is built on access to democracy, and the right to vote is the key.
Washington would not have passed bills — such as universal mail-in voting, same-day voter registration and the Washington Voting Rights Act — without the help and support of my fellow legislators, secretaries of state, and county auditors, as well as the numerous organizations and people who care about safe, secure, and accessible elections.
2024 legislation
This year, the Legislature took steps to deter threats to elections and election workers. Bills were also passed to strengthen civic health across Washington.
Many of these bills came through the committee I chair — the Senate State Government & Elections Committee:
➡️SB 5890 requires county auditors to educate voters about signature verification requirements and promptly contact voters about unsigned ballots or signatures that do not match what’s on file, providing voters an opportunity to correct issues in a timely manner. Recent reports have shown ballot rejections disproportionately affect younger voters and communities of color. The use of technology has greatly reduced the use of actual signatures, and younger voters rarely use actual signatures, meaning their signatures often vary widely from one usage to another.
➡️SB 5843 ensures important election security measures are in place in every Washington county and establishes violations and penalties related to election interference, including by observers, unauthorized access and destruction of ballots.
➡️HB 1241 strengthens penalties for in-person threats against election workers, protecting those on the front lines of democracy.
➡️SB 5824 makes the process to dissolve a public library more democratic. Petitioners seeking to dissolve a public library now need to gather signatures from a wider pool of affected people. If a measure makes it on the ballot, all affected voters get to vote on it rather than limiting the vote to those living outside of incorporated cities and towns, as previous law required.
➡️SCR 8414, spearheaded by Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, establishes a Joint Select Committee on Civic Health to build upon the work of the Project for Civic Health. The committee, led by the lieutenant governor and including legislators from both parties, will report to the Legislature with recommendations to improve civility by next December. Recommendations could include enhanced civics education, improved training for elected officials or supporting local journalism. To stay up to date on the work the Project for Civic Health is up to, click here.
Lotus Court offers affordable housing to local seniors
Community leaders celebrate the grand opening of Lotus Court in Olympia. Photo courtesy: Low-Income Housing Institute.
I was honored to join other local community leaders, including County Commissioner Carolina Mejia, Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne, Lacey Councilmember Carolyn Cox, Rep. Beth Doglio and others for the grand opening of Lotus Court, a 64-unit housing complex for low-income seniors. Lotus Court will provide seniors previously experiencing homelessness with a safe, affordable place to live and access to basics such as showers, laundry, kitchens, and beds.
I’m proud this year we continued our work to make housing more affordable and available through increased funding to the Housing Trust Fund — making projects like this possible. Check out The Olympian’s story on the Low-Income Housing Institute’s project here.
Between now and January, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with questions or concerns at 360-786-7642 or Sam.Hunt@leg.wa.gov. You can also follow my official Facebook page for more updates.
Sincerely,
Sam Hunt
