Voter notifications & forms

AN ACT Relating to effective voter notifications and forms; and 1
amending RCW 29A.08.140, 29A.08.410, 29A.08.359, and 29A.08.030.2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:3
Sec. 1. RCW 29A.08.140 and 2022 c 69 s 2 are each amended to 4
read as follows: 5
(1) In order to vote in any primary, special election, or general 6
election, a person who is not registered to vote in Washington must:7
(a) Submit a registration application that is received by an 8
election official no later than eight days before the day of the 9
primary, special election, or general election. For purposes of this 10
subsection (1)(a), "received" means: (i) Being physically received by 11
an election official by the close of business of the required 12
deadline; or (ii) for applications received online or electronically, 13
by midnight, of the required deadline; or 14
(b) Register in person at a county auditor's office, the division 15
of elections if in a separate location from the county auditor's 16
office, a voting center, a student engagement hub, or other location 17
designated by the county auditor no later than 8:00 p.m. on the day 18
of the primary, special election if the county is conducting an 19
election, or general election. 20
Z-0447.2
SENATE BILL 5902
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Boehnke, Riccelli, Nobles, Shewmake, and Valdez; by
request of Secretary of State
Prefiled 12/16/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections.
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(2)(a) In order to change a residence address for voting in any 1
primary, special election, or general election, a person who is 2
already registered to vote in Washington may update his or her 3
registration by: 4
(i) Submitting an address change using a registration application 5
or making notification via any non-in-person method that is received 6
by election officials no later than eight days before the day of the 7
primary, special election, or general election; or 8
(ii) Appearing in person, at a county auditor's office, the 9
division of elections if in a separate location from the county 10
auditor's office, a voting center, or other location designated by 11
the county auditor, no later than 8:00 p.m. on the day of the 12
primary, special election if the county is conducting an election, or 13
general election to be in effect for that primary, special election 14
if the county is conducting an election, or general election.15
(b) A registered voter who fails to update his or her residential 16
address by this deadline may vote according to his or her previous 17
registration address. 18
(3) To register or update a voting address in person at a county 19
auditor's office, a voting center, or other location designated by 20
the county auditor, a person must appear in person at a county 21
auditor's office, a voting center, or other location designated by 22
the county auditor at a time when the facility is open and complete 23
the voter registration application ((by)) or form approved by the 24
secretary of state, providing the information required by RCW 25
29A.08.010. 26
Sec. 2. RCW 29A.08.410 and 2024 c 56 s 1 are each amended to 27
read as follows: 28
A registered voter who changes residence from one address to 29
another may transfer the voter's registration to the new address in 30
one of the following ways: 31
(1) Sending ((the)) a county auditor a request stating both the 32
voter's present address and the address from which the voter was last 33
registered received by an election official by the eighth day prior 34
to a primary or election; 35
(2) Appearing in person before a county auditor, or at a voting 36
center or other location designated by the county auditor, and making 37
such a request up until 8:00 p.m. on the day of the primary or 38
election; 39
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(3) Telephoning or emailing ((the)) a county auditor to update 1
the voter's registration address by the eighth day prior to a primary 2
or election; 3
(4) Submitting a voter registration application received by an 4
election official by the eighth day prior to a primary or election;5
(5) Submitting information to the department of licensing and 6
received by an election official by the eighth day prior to a primary 7
or election; 8
(6) Submitting voter registration information through the health 9
benefit exchange and received by an election official by the eighth 10
day prior to a primary or election; or 11
(7) Submitting information to an agency designated under RCW 12
29A.08.365 and received by an election official by the eighth day 13
prior to a primary or election once automatic voter registration is 14
implemented at the agency. 15
Sec. 3. RCW 29A.08.359 and 2023 c 466 s 16 are each amended to 16
read as follows: 17
(1)(a) For persons age eighteen years and older registering under 18
RCW 29A.08.355(1), an application is considered complete only if it 19
contains the information required by RCW 29A.08.010 and other 20
information as required by the secretary of state. The applicant is 21
considered to be registered to vote as of the original date of 22
issuance or renewal or date of change of address of an enhanced 23
driver's license or enhanced identicard issued under RCW 46.20.202 or 24
change of address for an existing enhanced driver's license or 25
enhanced identicard pursuant to RCW 46.20.205. 26
(b) For persons sixteen or seventeen years of age registering 27
under RCW 29A.08.355(2), an application is considered complete only 28
if it contains the information required by RCW 29A.08.010 and other 29
information as required by the secretary of state. The applicant is 30
considered to be registered to vote as of the date set forth in RCW 31
29A.08.110(1). 32
(c) The information must be transmitted daily to the secretary of 33
state. 34
(i) If the information shows no name change or change of 35
residence or mailing address for an existing voter registration, the 36
auditor may choose to send the voter an acknowledgment notice.37
(ii) If the information is an application for new registration 38
((or updates any element of an existing voter registration )), the 39
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auditor shall ((update the voter's record and, if the information 1
updates the voter's name, residence address, or mailing address, 2
record the appropriate precinct identification, taxing district 3
identification, and date of registration on the voter's record in the 4
state voter registration list and )) send an automatic voter 5
registration acknowledgment notice package within ((five business 6
days of the original application, or, if the information is received 7
after the deadline to register to vote or update a voter registration 8
under RCW 29A.08.140 (1)(a) or (2)(a)(i), within five business days 9
after the election)) 60 days after the receipt of an application . Any 10
mailing address provided shall be used only for mail delivery 11
purposes, and not for precinct assignment or residency purposes.12
(iii) If the information indicates a residential address change, 13
the auditor shall send an acknowledgment notice as required by RCW 14
29A.08.030.15
(d) An auditor may use other means to communicate with potential 16
and registered voters such as, but not limited to, email, phone, or 17
text messaging. The alternate form of communication must not be in 18
lieu of the mail requirements. If the voter responds by email, phone, 19
or text message, the mailed notice is not required. The auditor shall 20
act in compliance with all voter notification processes established 21
in federal law. 22
(2) If an application is not complete, the auditor shall promptly 23
mail a verification notice to the applicant. The verification notice 24
must require the applicant to provide the missing information. If the 25
applicant provides the required information within forty-five days, 26
the applicant must be registered to vote. The applicant must not be 27
placed on the official list of registered voters until the 28
application is complete. 29
(3) If the prospective registration applicant responds to the 30
automatic voter registration acknowledgment notice and declines to 31
register to vote or the information provided by the department of 32
licensing does not indicate citizenship, the information must not be 33
included on the list of registered voters. 34
(4)(a) For new registrants who decline registration in a reply 35
that is received by the auditor within 15 days from the date of 36
mailing of the automatic voter registration acknowledgment notice 37
package, the voter registration record shall be removed from the list 38
of registered voters, and the person is deemed to have never 39
registered to vote. 40
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(b) If the reply declining registration is received after the 1
deadline, the auditor shall cancel the voter's registration.2
(5) The department of licensing is prohibited from sharing data 3
files used by the secretary of state to certify voters registered 4
through the automated process outlined in RCW 29A.08.355 with any 5
federal agency, or state agency other than the secretary of state. 6
Personal information supplied for the purposes of obtaining a 7
driver's license or identicard is exempt from public inspection 8
pursuant to RCW 42.56.230. 9
Sec. 4. RCW 29A.08.030 and 2023 c 466 s 3 are each amended to 10
read as follows: 11
The definitions set forth in this section apply throughout this 12
chapter, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.13
(1) "Verification notice" means a notice sent by the county 14
auditor or secretary of state to a voter registration applicant and 15
is used to verify or collect information about the applicant in order 16
to complete the registration. The verification notice must be 17
designed to include a postage prepaid, preaddressed return form by 18
which the applicant may verify or send information.19
(2) "Acknowledgment notice" means a notice sent by nonforwardable 20
mail by the county auditor or secretary of state to a registered 21
voter to acknowledge a voter registration transaction or an automatic 22
voter registration transaction, which can include initial 23
registration, residential address change, or reactivation of an 24
inactive registration, identifying the registrant's precinct and 25
containing such other information as may be required by the secretary 26
of state. An acknowledgment notice may be a voter registration card.27
(3) "Automatic voter registration acknowledgment notice package" 28
means a package of information sent by nonforwardable mail by the 29
county auditor, to a registered voter who utilized the automatic 30
voter registration process at the department of licensing, to 31
acknowledge a voter registration ((transaction, which can include 32
initial registration, residential address change, or reactivation of 33
an inactive registration)). The package must include:34
(a) A postage prepaid, preaddressed return form by which the 35
individual may decline to be registered to vote or decline the 36
update; 37
(b) A statement explaining that the person has become registered 38
to vote or signed up to register to vote, as appropriate, setting 39
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forth the qualifications to vote, stating that if the individual does 1
not meet the qualifications to vote, the person shall return the 2
notice and affirmatively decline in writing to register to vote, and 3
that if the person wishes to cancel the voter registration at any 4
time, that the person may contact their county auditor to do so;5
(c) Instructions regarding how an individual can obtain more 6
information about the notice and assistance in the individual's 7
preferred language, including languages as set forth in RCW 8
29A.08.270; 9
(d) An acknowledgment notice; and 10
(e) Other information required by the secretary of state.11
(4) "Identification notice" means a notice sent to a 12
provisionally registered voter to confirm the applicant's identity.13
(5) "Confirmation notice" means a notice sent to a registered 14
voter by first-class forwardable mail at the address indicated on the 15
voter's permanent registration record and to any other address at 16
which the county auditor or secretary of state could reasonably 17
expect mail to be received by the voter in order to confirm the 18
voter's residence address. The confirmation notice must be designed 19
to include a postage prepaid, preaddressed return form by which the 20
registrant may verify the address information. 21
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