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Committee hears bill to add mandatory civics course and signature instruction after auditors raise ballot-rejection concerns
Summary
HB 2262 would require a standalone half-credit civics course that includes instruction on producing a legible, repeatable signature; county auditors and the Secretary of State support outreach to reduce signature-mismatch ballot rejections and explained the signature curing process to the committee.
The committee received a staff briefing and multiple witnesses on House Bill 2262, which would require a mandatory one-half credit standalone civics course for high school graduation and add instruction on producing a legible, repeatable official signature and how signatures are used in elections.
Ethan Moreno, nonpartisan committee staff, said the required civics course must include instruction on government structures, the rights and responsibilities in the Washington and U.S. constitutions, and electoral processes including ballot measures. He also summarized provisions directing county auditors to develop community outreach plans explaining signature verification and directing the Secretary of State to publish a statewide survey of ballot rejection rates by cause and age group for inclusion in OSPI civics content.
Representative Connors (prime sponsor) said the bill is intended to reduce ballot rejections among young voters and cited Secretary of State data that 64% of 2024 ballot rejections were due to signature mismatches. She said many young voters do not understand the importance of a repeatable signature and described local experiences of ballots being rejected or not cured because curing was “too much work.”
Brenda Chilton, Bent County Auditor, testified pro and explained the signature-verification and curing process: trained verifiers review signatures multiple times, counties notify challenged voters by text, email and letter, and voters may cure by submitting a signed declaration or, in some cases, a mark with two witness signatures. Chilton said including signature instruction in civics curricula could reduce unnecessary ballot rejections and that auditors' existing outreach plans could incorporate the material with little additional cost.
Committee members asked whether the bill defines cursive or legible signatures, how the bill would treat non-Roman scripts, and about potential county costs. Staff and Chilton said the bill does not define cursive specifically and that a “legible, repeatable signature” standard would not require Western-format handwriting; counties attempt to match whatever form of signature is on record and printed signatures are more challenging to verify.
No vote on the bill was recorded in the transcript; the committee proceeded to other business.
