FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 9, 2023
OLYMPIA – Sen. Joe Nguyễn’s (D-White Center) bill to make changes to the candidate filing process passed was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 5182 moves the deadline for candidates to file for office and modifies deadlines for candidate statements prepared for the voters’ pamphlet.
Currently, candidates only have one week to prepare those statements after filing to run. Allowing them more time to complete these will result in more thoughtful and informative statements for voters.
SB 5182 also allows auditors more time to produce materials and make them available in multiple languages.
“We cannot and should not rush democracy. This legislation ensures that both candidates and voters will have more time to thoughtfully engage in the democratic process,” Nguyễn said.
The bill goes into effect on July 23.
