Washington House Passes Bill to Tighten Rules on Voter Registration Challenges

Legislation aims to reduce challenges that can intimidate voters, especially new registrants

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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The Washington state House has approved legislation to make it more difficult to challenge a voter's registration, with supporters saying it will reduce challenges that can intimidate voters, especially the electorate's newest registrants. The bill puts up additional barriers for those challenging residents' voter registration and makes it a crime to knowingly provide false information in the process. Republicans argue the bill adds obstacles to public oversight of elections by making it more difficult to remove ineligible voters from the rolls.

Why it matters

Unproven claims of election fraud in 2020 have energized political conservatives in Washington to aggressively seek out ineligible voters, with groups like the Washington Voter Research Project training individuals on how to conduct voter registration challenges. This legislation aims to curb those efforts, which supporters say can intimidate voters, while opponents argue it reduces necessary oversight of the voter rolls.

The details

House Bill 1916 imposes additional requirements for challenging a voter's registration, such as only allowing challenges from someone registered in the same county, requiring certified letters to be sent to both residential and mailing addresses, and mandating the use of a state-provided form. The bill also gives county auditors more latitude to reject meritless challenges and only allows hearings if the auditor is unable to confirm the voter's eligibility and there is probable cause they are ineligible.

  • The Washington state House approved the legislation on Tuesday, February 12, 2026.
  • A similar bill was teed up for a vote in the final days of the 2025 legislative session, but did not pass due to Republican amendments.

The players

Beth Doglio

The Democratic state representative from Olympia who sponsored House Bill 1916.

Jim Walsh

The Republican state representative from Aberdeen who is also the chair of the Washington State Republican Party.

Mary Hall

The Thurston County Auditor who determined that most of the over 1,000 voter registration challenges submitted by the Washington Voter Research Project in 2022 were properly registered.

Glen Morgan

The founder of the Washington Voter Research Project, which has trained individuals on how to conduct voter registration challenges.

Sharlett Mena

The Democratic state representative from Tacoma who chairs the House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee.

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What they’re saying

“Even a baseless challenge can make a voter think twice before going to the polls.”

— Beth Doglio, State Representative (dailyfly.com)

“The bill adds obstacles to citizens to exercise their lawful duty to act as a check on the system of registering voters that does not have enough checks and balances in it.”

— Jim Walsh, State Representative and Washington State Republican Party Chair (dailyfly.com)

“We wholeheartedly disagree on policy, but, as was evident, we were able to be respectful and polite in our debate.”

— Sharlett Mena, State Representative and House State Government and Tribal Relations Committee Chair (dailyfly.com)

What’s next

The bill now moves to the Washington state Senate for consideration.

The takeaway

This legislation highlights the ongoing tensions around voter registration challenges and efforts to maintain election integrity, with Democrats seeking to protect voters from intimidation and Republicans arguing for greater oversight of the voter rolls.