Mashup: House Republicans oppose Dem bill that could eliminate voting opportunities in Washington

In an hourlong floor debate on Thursday, House Republicans fought against a Democrat-sponsored bill (HB 1932) that could potentially eliminate odd-year elections in Washington state.

House Republicans oppose House Bill 1932 because:

- Removing opportunities for Washingtonians to vote erodes democracy.

- This bill may cause serious ballot length issues, resulting in voter fatigue and undervoting in local races that cost county auditors significant resources to prepare for.

- State auditors across Washington oppose this bill, as does the Secretary of State. They have grave concerns eliminating odd-year elections will make it harder to retain qualified staff to run elections and could reduce opportunities to test voting system preparedness, accuracy, and security before presidential and midterm elections.

- House Democrats rejected a Republican amendment to require that tax measures on the ballot also run in even-numbered years, meaning a small percentage of highly partisan voters could raise taxes in special elections in February and April.

Speakers:

Rep. Greg Cheney, R-Battle Ground
Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima
Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama
Rep. Leonard Christian, R-Spokane Valley
Rep. Sam Low, R-Lake Stevens
Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax
Rep. Spencer Hutchins, R-Gig Harbor