The bill amends RCW 29A.84.620 to make certain conduct related to voting a class C felony punishable under RCW 9A.20.021. The amended section criminalizes using menace, force, threat, or other unlawful means to hinder or deter an elector from voting; directly or indirectly offering any bribe, reward, prize, gift, or thing of value in exchange for an elector’s vote or for a promise to refrain from voting; engaging in quid pro quo conduct that a reasonable person could interpret as intended to induce or influence an elector’s vote (with five nonexclusive factors listed for courts to consider in determining violations); authorizing or causing another to commit these offenses; accepting a bribe or thing of value in these circumstances; and engaging in gambling as defined in RCW 9.46.0237 in those circumstances. The bill also amends RCW 9A.08.030 to add definitions used in the amended election offense statute: “agent,” “entity,” “governor,” and “high managerial agent.” “Entity” is defined to include domestic entities formed under Titles 23, 23B, 24, or 25 RCW, foreign business entities, and political committees as defined in the cited political committee statute. The bill contains two versions of this definitions section that differ only by which statute is cited for the definition of “political committee”; Section 2 (which cites RCW 42.17A.005) expires January 1, 2026, and Section 3 (which cites RCW 29B.10.420) takes effect January 1, 2026. The relationship and transitional intent between the two versions are not explained in the provided text. This is a modification of existing law that imposes a specified criminal penalty (classification as a class C felony) for the listed conduct, and it adds or clarifies statutory definitions that apply to that provision. The text references enforcement and forfeiture under RCW 9A.28.040 and the gambling definition in RCW 9.46.0237. The bill was read for the first time on 04/09/25 and referred to the Committee on Community Safety.

If enacted, the bill raises the personal and organizational risk of trying to influence how someone votes by making a wide range of coercive or transactional tactics a felony. People and groups who offer or accept payments, gifts, prizes, bets, or other value tied to someone’s vote — and the directors, officers, employees, or other authorized agents of businesses and political committees — would face felony exposure and possible forfeiture actions by the Attorney General. In practice, campaigns, political committees, businesses, and their leaders will likely need to expand legal review, compliance training, and risk management to avoid criminal liability and potential enforcement costs. The bill text includes two overlapping definitions of “political committee” that switch on January 1, 2026 (one version expires that day and the other takes effect), and the material provided does not explain why both appear or how enforcement will transition. The document also lacks fiscal or implementation details, so the likely scale of prosecutions, staffing or budget impacts, and exact enforcement procedures remain unclear.