OLYMPIA – Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs applauded the signing of Senate Bill 5892 on Wednesday, March 25, which protects voters’ private information.
Any state or local election officer who discloses private voter information, like driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers or full birthdates, may be charged with a class C felony. The legislation also clarifies that the Office of the Secretary of State is the only agency legally allowed to respond to requests for data from Washington’s voter database.
“My office is committed to protecting voter information so Washingtonians can remain confident in the security and accuracy of our election systems,” Secretary Hobbs said. “Washington 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.”
The bill contained an emergency clause, which means the law took effect immediately after it was signed by Governor Bob Ferguson.
Sen. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane) was the bill’s prime sponsor.
Voters in our state expect and deserve a secure election system that protects their privacy,” Riccelli said. “This legislation will ensure confidential information in our state’s voter database is not disclosed by county election officials. I am proud our state is standing up to prevent unnecessary and illegitimate intrusions into voters’ privacy.”
The Trump administration requested Washington’s complete voter roll in September 2025. Secretary Hobbs directed federal officials to a portal where they could access the publicly available information but declined to share voters’ private identifying details. This information is already protected by state law and the 1974 Privacy Act.
The Department of Justice attempted to sue for that information last December but incorrectly filed the lawsuit three times. A federal judge has also thrown out a similar case the Department filed against the state of Oregon.
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