OLYMPIA, Wash. – A bill sponsored by Kennewick Senator Matt Boehnke to enhance election security has cleared another hurdle in the Washington State Legislature.
Senate Bill 5014 seeks to bolster the security of Washington’s electoral process by expanding the Secretary of State’s oversight of election equipment and platforms.
If passed, the bill would also mandate the disclosure of security breaches and set cybersecurity requirements for county election officers.
“These changes are crucial to ensuring the integrity and trustworthiness of our electoral process,” Boehnke said in today’s release.
Washington already has several election-security measures in place, including voter-verification laws and post-election audits. Boehnke described the bill as a bipartisan effort to provide counties with more resources and state-level oversight to combat threats and ensure election accuracy.
“This is a good bipartisan bill that shows a strong collaborative effort,” Boehnke stated.
The legislation passed with a 49-0 vote in the Senate and now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
