Committee considers HB 1750 to add explicit ban on voter suppression to Washington Voting Rights Act

House Bill 1750 would amend the Washington Voting Rights Act (WVRA) to prohibit election practices that “result in, are likely to result in, or are intended to result in a material disparate burden” on members of a protected class, Representative Natasha Hill (3rd Legislative District) told the committee.

Desiree Omley, Office of Program Research staff, said the bill expands the WVRA’s reach by adding “election policy or practice” (including prerequisites to voting and methods of election) to the statute’s definitional framework, and by providing a separate cause of action for voter suppression or “abridgment” claims alongside existing vote-dilution claims. The bill would allow challengers to seek preliminary relief for upcoming elections and, in those cases, the court must grant relief if the challenger is “more likely than not” to succeed on the merits and an appropriate remedy can be implemented in…