When residents are issued a driver’s license they are automatically registered to vote, and state law makes it illegal to ask citizenship status.
The Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) received numerous reports of foreign nationals being automatically registered to vote in the state during recent election cycles. Some reports were even in cases where the foreigners insisted to the department itself that they were not legally allowed to vote.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature passed House Bill 2595 in 2018, which automatically registers people to vote when they are issued a driver’s license or renew an existing license. Additionally, state law does not allow the Washington Secretary of State’s Office (SOS) to verify citizenship when they receive a voter’s registration.
According to emails obtained by The Center Square, a public disclosure request revealed instances where foreign nationals were registered to vote, even in some cases when they insisted while obtaining a license that they were not US citizens. Read more…
