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Committee hears bill to add state-level preclearance to Washington Voting Rights Act
Summary
A proposal to require some local jurisdictions to seek attorney general preclearance before adopting covered voting-related policies drew both support from voting-rights advocates and concerns from city and county officials about scope, timelines and litigation risk.
The State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee on Feb. 20 heard testimony on House Bill 1710, which would add a state-level preclearance requirement to the Washington Voting Rights Act for jurisdictions with prior violations or specific findings within the last 25 years.
Danielle Creech, committee staff, described the amendment as requiring a covered jurisdiction to apply to the attorney general for approval before implementing a covered policy — an approach modeled on the federal-era Section 5 preclearance that the U.S.…
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