A measure requiring county auditors to mail a statewide and local voters’ pamphlet to registered Washington voters overseas, including military voters, upon request passed the House of Representatives today (Wednesday), 97-0.
House Bill 1357Â is sponsored by Rep. Gina Mosbrucker, R-Goldendale.
The measure is not an unfunded mandate, according to the Office of the Secretary of State.
“The bill would ensure access to this information and allow the county auditors to get full reimbursement through the federal Voting Assistance Program in Congress,” said Mosbrucker.
“This comes from a soldier who reached out to me and said he receives his election ballot while serving our country overseas, but he doesn’t get a voters’ pamphlet with it. Often, he doesn’t have access to the internet to learn more about candidates so that he can make an informed choice. A voters’ pamphlet ensures he has that information with his ballot,” said Mosbrucker.
“All voters should have equal access to tools to make informed choices on the ballot,” said Mosbrucker. “Overseas soldiers who take risks and sacrifice for us every day should have the ability to easily receive a voters’ pamphlet before they vote.”
It’s the third bill authored by Mosbrucker that has passed the House unanimously within the past week.
Mosbrucker’s House Bill 1455, a cyber-security measure, would require the Employment Security Department and the Department of Labor and Industries to examine practices of how they disclose individual Social Security numbers in agency correspondence with third-party entities. The bill is in response to recent personal data breaches within state agencies. It passed the House on Feb. 24.
House Bill 1315Â would create a task force on domestic violence and workplace resources to identify the role of the workplace in helping to curb domestic violence. The bill passed the House on Monday.
All three bills are now under consideration in the Senate.