Should Washington require proof of citizenship to register to vote?

Key Points:

• Washington state leaders, including Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall and Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, maintain that noncitizen voting cases are rare and not a significant issue, emphasizing the state's voter ID laws and attestation of citizenship during registration.
• The Department of Justice (DOJ) claims to have found 405 suspected cases of noncitizens voting in Washington elections and requested the state to sequester those ballots for investigation, a request that Secretary Hobbs strongly rejected.
• Washington does not require proof of citizenship to register to vote, relying instead on self-attestation, which immigration attorney Len Saunders argues leads to unintentional illegal voting by noncitizens, especially through automatic voter registration at Department of Licensing offices.
• Saunders warns that noncitizens who unknowingly vote risk serious consequences such as deportation, denial of naturalization, and criminal charges, and calls for proof of citizenship requirements to protect immigrants from inadvertent legal violations.
• The attorney urges cooperation between state and federal governments to address the issue, highlighting the need for reforms to prevent legal immigrants from being unintentionally placed at risk by current voter registration practices.