SB 5050 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning the privacy of party selections during presidential primaries.

SB 5050 requires that in Washington state presidential primary elections, voters' party preference selections be placed inside ballot envelopes so they cannot be seen from the outside. This change ensures party declarations remain as secret as other ballot choices, directly protecting voters' privacy during presidential primaries. The bill also mandates that ballot envelopes include a clear, visible notice reminding voters they must select a party for their ballot to be counted. These provisions aim to prevent outside observers from inferring a voter's candidate choice based solely on their party selection. The bill is currently under review in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
4
Committee
6
Jan 12, 2026
Introduced
By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
upper
Feb 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
upper
Feb 11, 2025
Committee
Referred to Ways & Means.
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Committee
And refer to Ways & Means.
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
SGTE - Majority; do pass.
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 10:30 AM.
upper
Jan 28, 2025
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 1:30 PM.
upper
1 primary · 9 co-sponsors

Sponsors