Lawmakers hear bill to expand automatic voter registration to Medicaid, naturalization and reentry processes

Senate Bill 5,077 would authorize state agencies and the Secretary of State to implement future expansions of automatic voter registration into additional government transactions, including Medicaid applications, naturalization ceremonies and reentry paperwork for returning citizens, proponents said at a House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee hearing.

Supporters said the bill is permissive and creates a pathway to register eligible citizens who are currently unregistered — particularly newly naturalized Americans, formerly incarcerated people and low-income residents — while opponents raised concerns about voter-roll accuracy and potential security gaps.

Shirley Presad, a representative of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, described the exchange's current voter-registration workflow on Washington Health Plan Finder: a mandatory pop-up asking users whether they want to register to vote, followed…