15,000 people in WA prisons can’t vote. A new bill aims to change that

House Bill 1196 would guarantee voting rights to all people, revoking that right only when the person is convicted of a state crime punishable by death. Because the state officially abolished the death penalty in 2023, if the bill is signed into law, effectively all people incarcerated in Washington would have a right to vote unless the state reinstated capital punishment.

Paywall-free link: https://archive.is/srXwV

Bill info: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1196&Year=2025&Initiative=false

Bill text: https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1196.pdf?q=20260123113543

Comment on this bill here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/1196