As red states impose new restrictions on voting, blue Washington presses ahead with expansions

With federal voting rights legislation stalled in Congress, majority Democrats in the Washington Legislature are contemplating an expansion of a 2018 state-level voting rights law aimed at increasing minority representation.

Democrats are also advancing an automatic voter registration bill modeled after similar laws in states like Oregon and Colorado that have been credited with diversifying the electorate.

The efforts to make it easier to vote in Washington, a blue state, come as many red states are heading in the opposite direction; passing laws to restrict access to the ballot box in the name of election security.

“I can’t control what happens in Georgia,” said Democratic state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña of south Seattle. “But I can make sure that we create some hope for people in other states.”

Saldaña, the deputy majority leader in the Washington Senate, is the prime sponsor of a bill that would allow certain organizations, not just individuals, to file a claim under the Washington Voting Rights Act (WVRA).