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Debate over initiative reforms: SB 5973 would ban pay‑per‑signature and require 1,000 verified signatures before a title

State Senate Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee · January 20, 2026
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Summary

SB 5973 would bar paying signature gatherers per signature, allow hourly/contract pay, permit citizen suits for violations, and require 1,000 verified signatures before a ballot title is issued. Supporters argued it curbs fraud and aggressive tactics; opponents warned it could raise barriers to citizen initiatives.

Senators spent significant time on Jan. 20 considering Senate Bill 5973, the Initiative Integrity Act, which proposes three related changes: ban per‑signature compensation for petition circulators (allow hourly/salary/contracted pay), authorize citizen suits with civil penalties (up to $10,000 per violation) for pay‑per‑signature compensation violations, and require sponsors to submit at least 1,000 verified Washington voter signatures before the Attorney General issues a ballot title.

Sponsor Sen. Javier Valdez framed the bill as restoring integrity to Washington’s initiative process by removing incentives that can encourage misleading tactics and by preventing ‘‘ballot title shopping’’ through repeated filings. Supporters including the Washington Education Association, SEIU and many grassroots witnesses recounted aggressive per‑signature solicitation tactics and argued other states (Oregon, Arizona, Montana, Florida) have similar restrictions without undermining initiatives.

Opponents, including Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and former Secretary Sam Reed, warned the bill could add burdens, be perceived as voter suppression and complicate the Secretary of State’s administrative role. Hobbs proposed alternatives such as increased penalties, improved signature verification technology and pilots; Reed called it a veto to citizen participation. The committee heard many pro and con witnesses across a long panel; the hearing ended at adjournment and no vote was recorded.

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