This bill narrows and revises when a criminal conviction can remove a person’s voting rights, updates related procedures, and adds duties for courts, the Department of Corrections (DOC), and the Secretary of State. It amends multiple existing RCWs and adds at least one new section to chapter 29A.08 RCW. Under the bill, only convictions in a Washington state court for an “infamous crime” (defined as a state crime punishable by death, excluding juvenile adjudications and convictions that are misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, or felonies not punishable by death) that include a sentence of total confinement under DOC can revoke voting rights. A person whose registration is suspended for such a conviction has voting rights automatically restored once they are no longer serving a sentence of total confinement, but they must reregister before voting. The phrase “sentence of total confinement” is defined by reference to RCW 9.94A.030 and is made explicit to exclude confinement imposed as a sanction for a community custody violation under RCW 9.94A.633(1). The bill creates procedural changes and new administrative duties. Courts must require defendants convicted of an infamous crime to sign an acknowledgment explaining loss of voting rights, cancellation of registration if registered, automatic restoration upon release from total confinement, the need to reregister, and that voting before restoration is a class C felony under RCW 29A.84.660. DOC must notify people in writing before release or transfer to partial confinement about restoration procedures and must provide voter registration forms and instructions. The Secretary of State must compare registered voter lists to the ineligible list at least monthly (timed when possible to allow notice before primaries or general elections), confirm matches by date of birth, and suspend registrations after required confirmation and notices; county auditors also have roles in suspending registrations and sending notices. The bill also updates voter oath language, challenge procedures to follow existing affidavit and due-diligence rules, jury competency language to include disqualification for those convicted and sentenced to total confinement who have not had civil rights restored, and requires certain ballot materials and return envelopes (including 20-point bold election date on envelopes, return-by-8:00 p.m. on election day or postmark-by-election-day rules, and prepaid postage so overseas and service voters can return ballots postage free). The act contains a severability clause and may be cited as the “free the vote act.” Some referenced amendments and provisions are not included in the extracted text: the chunked material is incomplete for the RCW 29A.68.020 amendment and the bill header lists additional amendments to RCW 10.64.140, 72.09.275, and 2.36.070 whose texts are not provided here; those missing texts and any additional new sections beyond the one identified are therefore uncertain from the provided facts.

If enacted, far fewer people would lose the right to vote: only those convicted in Washington courts of an "infamous crime" (a state offense punishable by death) and actually serving a term of total confinement under the Department of Corrections would be disenfranchised, and their voting rights would automatically return once they are no longer in total confinement—though they must reregister before voting. Practically this shifts responsibility onto state and local officials: the secretary of state must run monthly matches against ineligible lists and time them to allow notice before elections, county auditors must confirm matches by date of birth and suspend registrations with notice, courts must get convicted defendants to sign acknowledgments at sentencing, and DOC must provide pre-release written notice and registration forms. Election administrators will also need to update ballot and envelope materials and provide prepaid postage, which could raise administrative and postage costs. Those most affected are people convicted of death-eligible state crimes (who face a clearer, narrower path to automatic restoration), the Department of Corrections (new notice and materials duties), the secretary of state and county auditors (increased monthly processing, notice, and suspension tasks), and county election offices (format and postage requirements). The act excludes juvenile adjudications, misdemeanors, most felonies, and confinement for community custody violations from causing disenfranchisement, which reduces the pool of people affected. The bill text provided omits some amended sections and related changes listed in the header, so the precise operational steps and full cost impacts for agencies are not fully clear from these excerpts.