TACOMA, WA – Continued incidents of harassment and worse against signature gatherers for the conservative political action committee Let’s Go Washington have prompted draft legislation from a state senator creating stiff new penalties for interfering with signature gathering.

Let’s Go Washington has reported at least 32 incidents involving intimidation, threats, destruction of property and physical assaults connected to efforts to gather signatures for their initiatives regarding parental rights and transgender athletes. LGW started gathering signatures on Sept. 22.

Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, is drafting legislationthat would create “no-protest zones” near signature gatherers and make repeated interference with signature gathering a felony.

“Normally we wait until the draft is finished before we announce a bill,” Wilson said in a news release. “But over the last two weeks, we have seen such a campaign of harassment and intimidation at signature-gathering tables that it calls for an immediate response.”

An incident captured on police body camera and posted to X this week by unDivided podcaster Brandi Kruse appears to show a Covington police officer responding to an assault on a signature gatherer outside a Walmart store. The video shows the victim talking with the police and then shows the alleged suspect being identified and arrested.

It’s what the Covington officer is heard to say to the alleged suspect, who was a Walmart employee, that is drawing a lot of attention.

“Right now, you’re under arrest, and I think what we’ll do is kind of put on a show. I don’t think we’re actually going to take you to jail today,” the officer says. “This is more for the petitioner here.”

The officer then removes the suspect’s handcuffs.

“Your associate is being released. He was just being identified for something,” he tells the suspect’s supervisor.

People commenting on the X post voiced anger and frustration.

“Law enforcement in Washington State let this person walk away after a positive ID as the person responsible for defacing petitions being legally gathered,” one person wrote. “This is a clear civil rights violation.”

Another person wrote, “I’m literally out of words. This officer needed to be held responsible. Was he held responsible? If not, his superiors should’ve been looked into.”

Covington Police Chief Adam Easterbrook responded to a request for comment about the case.

“We are reviewing the incident involving the signature gatherer at Walmart,” he said in an email.  “We will be meeting with the officers at Covington PD to ensure we appropriately respond to this type of incident in the future.  Although the suspect was not booked, the suspect in this incident was charged with Theft in the Third Degree and Malicious Mischief in the Third Degree and those charges were submitted to the prosecutor that same day.”

Covington contracts with the King County Sheriff’s Office for police services.

Wilson, the Republican lead on the Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections Committee, has been seeking greater protections for signature gatherers since LGW reported problems gathering signatures in 2023.

He spoke with The Center Square about his draft bill.

“What it gives us is a great opportunity for both sides of the aisle to join together on a problem that is incredibly dangerous,” he said. “The initiative process is guaranteed under our state Constitution. Article II, Section 1 means each individual of Washington state can have some form of control or check and balance to their Legislature, and this is a luxury that Washington state has. Not all states have this in their constitutions, and I think it’s worth protecting.”

Wilson’s proposal for the 2026 session would do the following:

• Make it a gross misdemeanor to protest within 25 feet of a canvasser or a person signing a petition for a referendum or initiative.
• Establish that defacing petitions or harassing signature gatherers is a gross misdemeanor.
• Create a new Class C felony for repeat violations of the law.
• Create a new Class C felony for malicious interference with initiative or referendum petitions, allowing prosecution of those who steal initiative petitions from tables or from canvassers.

“Quite frankly, we don’t ever want to get it to the level where any of this type of political violence escalates into physical violence,” Wilson said. “We’ve already seen plenty of that in the United States going on right now, all the way up to the assassination of people that some don’t agree with. This is too far. This should come with a higher consequence, not a slap on the hand with a misdemeanor. It’s wrong, and I’m grateful that Secretary [of State Steve] Hobbs did make that statement. Now, what about the rest of the Legislature?”

A video statement from Hobbs, posted to X on Friday, came amid increasing media and public pressure to respond to the attacks.

“If someone is potentially trying to intimidate or disrupt this process, report it to your local law enforcement,” Hobbs wrote.

The Center Square emailed Hobbs’ office for comment on the incident involving a Covington police officer, but did not receive a response.

“It’s good that this bill makes intimidating and suppressing voters over and over again a felony,” LGW spokesperson Hallie Balch emailed The Center Square. “In less than two weeks, people gathering signatures to protect girls’ sports and restore parents’ rights have reported 32 incidents, including multiple assaults and at least one hit and run.

“This bill emphasizes the threat this kind of voter suppression and intimidation is to our democracy. Secretary Hobbs recently made a video statement that it is already a gross misdemeanor to interfere with a signature gatherer. It’s unfortunate that such a clear law needs more clarification. I hope the majority party will finally take this threat seriously.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Let’s Go Washington founder Brian Heywood, along with state lawmakers and other officials, will hold a 3 p.m. press conference and rally in response to the attacks. The event is being held in Tacoma at 930 Tacoma Ave. S.