Technology

Senate Bill 5014 enhances election security for Washington state's county election offices and their vendors. It requires county election offices to use the ".gov" domain for official communications and to partition their election-related IT networks from other county systems. The bill also mandates that counties implement 24/7 intrusion detection systems to monitor for malicious activity. Additionally, it expands the types of election equipment requiring state approval and strengthens requirements for counties and their vendors to immediately report security breaches or malicious activity to the Secretary of State and Attorney General. These new security measures are intended to be adopted by county election offices by July 1, 2027.

HB 1439 updates Washington's motor vehicle and driver licensing laws to match federal definitions, primarily by standardizing terms like "revoke" (one-year invalidation) and "suspend" (less than one year). It adds significant privacy protections for vehicle owners by restricting how businesses can access owner information, requiring written disclosure agreements, and prohibiting unsolicited contact. The bill also repeals outdated sections and requires agencies to retain disclosure requests for three years. These changes directly affect vehicle owners, businesses seeking owner data, and state agencies managing licensing records, with the law taking effect October 1, 2025.