AN ACT Relating to authorizing the secretary of state to develop and test electronic methods of ballot return for service and overseas voters, disabled voters, and certain incarcerated voters;
HB2064 authorizes the Washington Secretary of State to explore, develop, and test an electronic ballot return portal for certain “covered voters” who cannot access standard mail ballot return. Covered voters include service voters, overseas voters, disabled voters, and some incarcerated voters who remain eligible to vote. The bill limits use of the portal to those covered voters and requires that any approved system be designed to protect against electronic monitoring, intrusion, and interference while preserving voter secrecy, privacy, and the casting of only a single ballot.
The bill also directs the Secretary of State to establish rules for portal availability, ballot storage, and the circumstances under which a covered voter may use the portal. County election offices using an approved portal must keep records of each ballot-return attempt, successful or unsuccessful, and report the results to the Secretary of State after each voting period. The Secretary of State must then prepare annual statewide reports and provide periodic progress reports to the Legislature, and no electronic ballot portal may be approved or deployed without express statutory authority.
HB2064 would add a new statutory section to Washington election law giving the Secretary of State explicit authority to develop and test electronic ballot-return methods for a limited class of voters. It would not immediately create a statewide electronic voting system, but it would establish a framework for pilot development, testing, reporting, and rulemaking. The bill affects election administration by imposing recordkeeping and reporting duties on county election offices and by requiring statewide oversight from the Secretary of State.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be framed as a targeted access-and-security measure rather than a broad election overhaul. Its stated purpose suggests support for improving ballot-return access for voters who face barriers to mail return, while emphasizing security, privacy, and single-ballot integrity. No formal vote history or transcript is available here to show broader legislative support or opposition.
The main points of potential contention are likely to be election security, voter privacy, and the risk of unauthorized access or duplicate voting versus the access benefits for covered voters. Supporters would likely emphasize accessibility for service members, overseas voters, disabled voters, and certain incarcerated voters, while critics may question whether electronic ballot return can be made sufficiently secure and auditable. The bill addresses these concerns by restricting use to covered voters, requiring security protections, and mandating reporting and oversight, but the lack of committee discussion in the record means no specific objections or proponents are identified.