{"id":3902,"date":"2026-02-05T12:49:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T19:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/riccelli\/?p=3902"},"modified":"2026-02-05T15:33:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T22:33:37","slug":"senate-approves-legislation-to-protect-sensitive-voter-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/riccelli\/2026\/02\/05\/senate-approves-legislation-to-protect-sensitive-voter-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate approves legislation to protect sensitive voter data"},"content":{"rendered":"

OLYMPIA \u2013 Legislation to protect sensitive personal data in the statewide voter database passed by a 29-19 vote on Thursday in the Washington State Senate.<\/p>\n

Senate Bill 5892<\/a>, sponsored by Sen. Marcus Riccelli<\/a> (D-Spokane), would ensure that confidential information like drivers\u2019 license numbers, social security numbers, and full birth dates are 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAttempts by federal officials to access protected information in Washington state\u2019s voter database are unnecessary and illegitimate intrusions on voters\u2019 privacy,\u201d Riccelli said. \u201cRegardless of who occupies the White House, it\u2019s crucial that all requests for this kind of sensitive personal information are protected and our database is solely administered by our Secretary of State.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2025, the Trump administration sued several states and threatened legal action against Washington state after Secretary of State Steve Hobbs refused to provide personal data contained in the state\u2019s voter database, citing state law<\/a> prohibiting the public release of protected personal information. Federal officials had requested the information attempting to find evidence of baseless claims of voter fraud.<\/p>\n

“My office is committed to protecting voter information so Washingtonians can remain confident in the security and accuracy of our election systems,\u201d Hobbs said. \u201cWashington has long held a high standard for voter access while running safe and secure elections. Passage of this bill is another positive step toward ensuring we keep it that way, and I sincerely thank the Senate for its strong support.”<\/p>\n

The federal administration has escalated attempts to gain access to voter information in recent weeks, including the seizure of ballots<\/a> and other documents from Georgia\u2019s Fulton County last week. Late last month, a federal judge dismissed the Trump administration\u2019s lawsuit<\/a> seeking access to Oregon\u2019s complete and unredacted voter rolls.<\/p>\n

Under the legislation, county election officials are also prohibited from producing any reports from the statewide database and those who knowingly disclose sensitive voter information inconsistent with the performance of their duties would be guilty of a class C felony.<\/p>\n

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OLYMPIA \u2013 Legislation to protect sensitive personal data in the statewide voter database passed by a 29-19 vote on Thursday in the Washington State Senate. Senate Bill 5892, sponsored by Sen. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), would ensure that confidential information like drivers\u2019 license numbers, social security numbers, and full birth dates are 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. \u201cAttempts by federal officials to access protected information in Washington state\u2019s voter database are unnecessary and illegitimate…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":3904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-release"],"yoast_head":"\nSenate approves legislation to protect sensitive voter data - Sen. 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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. \u201cAttempts by federal officials to access protected information in Washington state\u2019s voter database are unnecessary and illegitimate...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/riccelli\/2026\/02\/05\/senate-approves-legislation-to-protect-sensitive-voter-data\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sen. 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