H-1319.1
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1448
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By House State Government & Tribal Relations (originally sponsored by Representatives Gregerson, Farivar, Parshley, Doglio, Obras, Mena, Fosse, Scott, Salahuddin, Bernbaum, Pollet, Ramel, Nance, Walen, Reeves, Hill, Paul, Berry, Duerr, Fitzgibbon, Callan, Reed, Goodman, Peterson, Ortiz-Self, Macri, Ormsby, and Simmons)
READ FIRST TIME 02/14/25.
AN ACT Relating to increasing representation and voter participation in local elections; amending RCW 29A.60.221 , 29A.52.112 , 29A.52.220 , 29A.24.010 , 36.32.040 , 36.32.050 , 35A.12.040 , 28A.343.320 , 29A.04.410 , 29A.12.080 , and 29A.36.121 ; reenacting and amending RCW 29A.36.170 ; adding new sections to chapter 29A.52 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 29A.04 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 52.14 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 53.12 RCW; creating new sections; repealing RCW 29A.04.127 ; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that jurisdictions throughout the state have been discussing adopting ranked choice voting to elect their officials, with some jurisdictions exploring the concept through resolutions and proposed charter amendments, plaintiffs in Yakima county requesting it as a remedy under the Washington voting rights act in July 2020, and Seattle voters having already chosen it in November 2022. Without legislative guidance, however, local governments and courts considering ranked choice voting must independently develop their own unique methodology to implement it.
The legislature wishes to ensure that state law provides consistent and clear rules governing the use of ranked choice voting in Washington. The legislature therefore intends for this act to provide baseline definitions, legal requirements, and high quality voter education guidelines for ranked choice voting elections throughout the state to aid local governments that enact ranked choice voting through popular vote, by action of their governing body, or as a remedy under the Washington voting rights act.