In a move that has sparked significant controversy, the state of Washington has effectively abolished its long-standing residency requirement for voter registration. This decision, spearheaded by Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs (D) and Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D), is seen by critics as another attempt by Democrats to manipulate the upcoming presidential election.
The Center Square reports that Hobbs’ office has removed a provision that has been a part of Washington’s electoral framework since the state’s original 1889 Constitution. This change follows a consent decree earlier this year, which settled a 2023 lawsuit claiming that the residency requirement violated federal law due to a 2018 state law.
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Article VI, Section 1 of the Washington Constitution mandated that a person must be a resident of the state for 30 days before the election to register to vote. However, the Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans filed a lawsuit in November 2023, arguing that this requirement was in violation of the U.S. Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970, which prohibits residency requirements for federal elections.
The lawsuit claimed that this “pre-election durational residency requirement” — which voters must attest to satisfying on voter registration forms — “is longer than the registration deadline and…therefore prevents voters who could otherwise lawfully register and cast ballots from doing so just because they moved into the state, county or precinct too recently.” The plaintiff contended that Washington’s durational residency requirement disenfranchises voters who move to the state or within the state (to a new county or precinct) fewer than 30 days before Election Day.
As a result, these individuals are barred from voting in the upcoming election and cannot elect state or local officials who would represent their current residence. This regulation has been seen as crucial for maintaining the fairness of elections and preventing voter fraud.
In response, the state Legislature passed Senate Bill 6021 in 2018, allowing voters to register as late as 8 p.m. on Election Day. “Voter registrations submitted electronically or through the mail must be received eight days before an election for a person to be eligible to participate in that election. Voter registrations may be submitted in-person at the county auditor’s office, county elections office, or another location designated by the county auditor up to 8:00 p.m. the day of the election for a person to participate in that election. A person may update their voter registration information up to 8:00 p.m. the day of the election.”
