S-1438.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5684
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections (originally sponsored by Senators Kauffman, Valdez, Hasegawa, and Nobles)
READ FIRST TIME 02/17/25.
AN ACT Relating to prohibitions on electioneering within buildings containing the division of elections for county auditor offices, including any adjacent county owned and operated parking lots routinely used for parking at the buildings; amending RCW 29A.84.510 ; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that every state, including Washington, has some form of restriction on political activities near polling places while voting is taking place. These electioneering prohibitions near voting centers, ballot drop boxes, and election offices create reasonable "buffer zones" and do not significantly impinge on First Amendment rights. These prohibitions are important tools to prevent intimidation and election fraud.
The legislature further finds that parking lots, which serve as corridors for voters seeking to register to vote and cast a ballot, are an extension of election offices and should not feature campaign signs or placards encouraging voters to cast votes for or against a candidate or ballot measure during the election period. This narrowly tailored prohibition protects both First Amendment rights of political campaigns and the right of voters to be free from any form of intimidation or influence while they attempt to cast a ballot.