Dear friends and neighbors,

Thank you to  everyone who took the time to participate in our 3rd District telephone town hall earlier this week. We received several thoughtful questions for myself and Representatives Natasha Hill and Timm Ormsby. A robust democracy can only exist with an active and engaged citizenry, and I am proud to represent such an engaged community in Spokane.

During the town hall, we discussed many of the issues we are working on this session, including affordable housing and homelessness, worker protections, higher education, environmental protections, utility costs, and safeguarding Washington from federal overreach. You can listen to the full town hall by clicking here.

Protecting your sensitive voter data

I am extremely concerned about recent attempts by federal officials to access protected voter information from states around the country, including right here in Washington. The Trump administration’s efforts to access our state’s voter database are unnecessary and represents an illegitimate intrusion into voters’ privacy. This session, I am working with the Secretary of State to pass legislation that would further protect your sensitive voter data. Senate Bill 5892 would ensure that confidential information—such as driver’s license numbers, social security numbers, and full birth dates—is not disclosed by county election officials. The bill also clarifies that the Secretary of State is the only agency allowed to respond to requests for sensitive voter information contained in the database.

I am proud to help lead efforts here in Washington to stand up against the Trump administration’s pressure campaign to gain access to state voter rolls. I am glad to see Sen. Maria Cantwell and other federal leaders from Washington raise alarm about these federal actions to assert control over our elections. Click here to watch my remarks on the bill, click here to learn more about the bill, and click here for coverage from KREM 2.

Thanks for taking the time to read my newsletter. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more updates and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Marcus.Riccelli@leg.wa.gov.

It’s an honor to serve you!

Sen. Marcus Riccelli