Monday, February 21, 2005

Changing voter laws: Real change, or cosmetic?

Elections in this state are headed for a change… the question: How much?

Republicans want a broad-based overhaul, including the voiding of all current voter registrations with a requirement that everyone re-register, while proving citizenship and address. They also want to end registration to PO boxes, as well as closer coordination on purging voter roles of felons and deceased voters.

Democrats, partial to illegal voters, don’t want to go nearly that far, claiming that such requirements would “disenfranchise” voters, although they seem incapable of showing how that would happen. It WOULD “disenfranchise” illegal aliens from voting, which, come to think of it, they shouldn’t do anyway.
Monday, February 21, 2005

Elections in state are headed for change

By Andrew Garber
Seattle Times Olympia bureau

OLYMPIA — Lawmakers say the way Washington votes is about to change. The question is how much. 

In the aftermath of the closest, most chaotic governor's race in state history, Democrats are pushing a package of changes that includes moving the primary to an earlier date and shifting the state toward a system in which all votes would be cast by mail. 

The bills have broad support among Democrats, who control both the House and Senate, but Republicans say they're not enough. 
"We're not opposed to the stuff that's coming out. We just feel there should be a lot more," said Sen. Bill Finkbeiner, R-Kirkland, the Senate minority leader. "We want to fix the problem and not just say we passed a bill."

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