OLYMPIA, WA – Voting rights advocates are pushing back against an initiative to require voters to have enhanced driver’s licenses or provide other proof of citizenship in order to vote in the state of Washington.

Under the initiative, registered voters would be automatically unregistered in November 2027 if they do not provide the required documents.

Soumyo Lahiri-Gupta, immigration advocacy manager for the immigrant rights organization One America, called the initiative an attack on voting rights which would harm all Washingtonians.

“Adding more and more requirements will create more and more hurdles to fulfill something that is designated as a right in the Constitution for all U.S. citizens,” Lahiri-Gupta argued. “A right should not have hurdles. A right should be as easily accessible as possible.”

Jim Walsh, state Republican Party chair, filed the initiative in May. Washington Republicans said it is designed to implement a Trump executive order on election integrity but the order has been blocked by courts and faces ongoing legal challenges.

The current Washington voter registration form requires people to check a box confirming they are a citizen but proponents of the initiative argued it is not enough.

Cynthia Stewart, first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Washington, countered the initiative is trying to solve a problem that does not exist.

“There is no evidence that there are a lot of people who are not citizens who are registering to vote,” Stewart pointed out. “It’s a criminal penalty if they do lie about that.”

Lahiri-Gupta noted Washington has been working to make elections more accessible through mail-in voting and same-day voter registration.

“Washington needs to continue to be a leader,” Lahiri-Gupta stressed. “This initiative sets us back decades.”

The initiative needs about 309,000 signatures by January in order to advance. Lawmakers could then adopt the initiative as written or send it to voters in November 2026.