04.11.02

Senators Protect Washington State's Vote-by-mail System in Election Reform Bill

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today said that the election reform bill passed today by the U.S. Senate would make voting easier and more secure while preserving the Washington state's vote-by-mail system.

"This bill makes sure that in our next presidential election, votes won't go uncounted," Cantwell said. "At the same time, it protects Washington state's vote-by-mail system which has been proven to work so well."

The final version of the Senate's election reform bill resolves a key issue for vote-by-mail systems like the one in Washington state. The bill had previously threatened the vote-by-mail system because it required first time voters to provide a photo ID for identification, even for voters who were sending in their ballots by mail. This requirement would have caused many vote-by-mail ballots to be disqualified.

Under an agreement negotiated by Northwest Senators Cantwell, Ron Wyden (OR), and Patty Murray (WA) and Republican Senator Christopher Bond (MO), the photo ID requirement would be waived for first-time voters if the state verifies their identity by matching information supplied at time of registration with state records. The specific information that would be matched is name, date of birth, address, and drivers license number or the last 4 digits of the Social Security number.

Voters whose photo ID requirement is not waived would still be allowed to vote if they fail to provide photo ID at the polling place or in mail-in ballots. Their ballots would be considered provisional and election officials would count them after verifying the voter's identity according to current state law.

In February, Cantwell successfully offered an amendment to the bill that fixed a different provision that threatened mail-in voting. That provision had required all voters be able to cast a "second-chance" ballot in the event of mistakes in their original ballot - an impractical requirement for mail-in ballots. Cantwell's amendment addressed mail-in ballots by allowing state's to satisfy the "second-chance" requirement for mail-in ballots by including clear instructions on filling out ballots and on how to get new ones.