SPOKANE, Wash. — Washington lawmakers disagree on a voting bill ahead of tonight’s State of the Union.
Senator Patty Murray will skip the event. Senator Maria Cantwell held her own event to address issues with the Trump administration.
Cantwell opposes the SAVE Act, which the Trump administration supports. Secretary Steve Hobbs believes the bill would prevent eligible voters from participating in elections.
The SAVE Act would require people to show a birth certificate or passport before voting. Republicans and the Trump administration want stricter voting laws to prevent non-citizens from voting.
Democrats say the SAVE Act would suppress legitimate voters.
“A passport can cost $165. In Washington, replacement of a birth certificate is somewhere between $28 and $51. Voters will have to travel to do more paperwork and stand in longer lines,” Cantwell said.
Hobbs says federal cuts have made it harder to prevent election interference.
“If this administration was serious about elections, they would restore the funding and support, which they cut last year to programs that defend our elections from constant cyber attack and disinformation campaigns from overseas actors,” Hobbs said.
Republican Representative Michael Baumgartner brought a Walla Walla teacher as his guest. The teacher was nominated by his students.
Baumgartner hopes tonight’s speech won’t increase political division.
“We were talking about some of the community heroes that come. Last year was the young man who battled cancer and many Democrats stood up and applauded. I think we can celebrate those good moments of camaraderie and certainly there are some principal divisions as well,” Baumgartner said.
Baumgartner wants the president to talk about crime and fentanyl policies. He says fentanyl overdose deaths are still too high in Washington.
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