The bill creates a new chapter in Title 29A RCW establishing a preclearance-like procedure that requires certain local governments ("covered jurisdictions") to submit proposed electionand voting-related changes ("covered policies") to the Washington Attorney General for a certification of no objection before adopting or implementing them. The Attorney General has 60 days to object (with up to two 90-day extensions), may affirmatively indicate no objection sooner, may enjoin implementation, and may sue in the superior court where the political subdivision is located or in Thurston County. If the Attorney General issues a certification of no objection or that certification is upheld on appeal, challenges to the same approved policy are barred for four years so long as the policy is not changed; appeals and Attorney General enforcement actions are subject to expedited proceedings. The bill defines covered jurisdictions as political subdivisions that within the past 25 years were subject to court orders, government enforcement actions, consent decrees, settlements conceding liability, or similar final adverse actions based on violations of chapter 29A.92 RCW, the federal Voting Rights Act, the 15th Amendment, or voting-related 14th Amendment or Washington Constitution claims involving discrimination against a protected class, and also includes jurisdictions previously found to have implemented covered policies without preclearance while designated. Covered policies are broadly defined to include changes in methods of election (such as shifts between single-member, at-large, or multimember seats), certain boundary changes that materially reduce a protected class’s citizen voting age population share within 12 months, changes to district or ward boundaries, limitations on interpreter services or non-English voting materials, changes to government plans or charters, retaining at-large systems after the decennial census or failing to revise districting after moving to district elections, any change that may have the effect of denying, abridging, or diluting voting rights on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, and voter-approved ballot initiatives. This is a procedural change creating a new state review and certification process, with enforcement and limited judicial remedies; it does not appear to create new criminal penalties. The Attorney General must biannually designate covered jurisdictions (by July 1 of even-numbered years using census or comparable data), maintain a public website with submissions and decisions, and consult the Office of Financial Management for designations. The act contains a contingency that it will be null and void if an unspecified "number" is not provided in the omnibus appropriations act by June 30, 2026. Important details are missing from the provided text, including the exact new chapter number, the full text of Section 7, the referenced definitions of "political subdivision" and "protected class" from RCW 29A.92.010, and any specific procedural forms, content requirements, or fees for submissions; the meaning of the contingency "number" is also not specified.

If enacted, local governments that meet the bill’s “covered jurisdiction” criteria would generally have to get the Washington attorney general’s sign-off before adopting many election-related changes (for example, switching how council seats are elected, changing ward or jurisdiction boundaries, or altering language assistance). That will likely delay those actions, increase legal and administrative costs for those local governments as they prepare submissions and possibly defend against objections or appeals, and require the attorney general’s office to devote staff time to biannual designations, reviews, website postings, and possible litigation; successful certifications would, however, shield an approved policy from new challenges on the same issue for four years if unchanged. Community groups and individuals would gain more standing to challenge either a jurisdiction that fails to seek certification or an AG certification they think violates the law, while jurisdictions face the risk of injunctions if the AG objects. The act depends on a funding or numeric item being placed in the omnibus appropriations act by June 30, 2026; if that “number” is not provided, the whole act becomes null and void. The extracted text omits some implementation details—such as the exact definitions referenced in RCW 29A.92.010, the specific procedures or fees for submissions, and what the required “number” refers to—so the timing, staffing needs, and fiscal impacts on the attorney general’s office and local governments are uncertain from the available information.