WA Voting Rights Act Preclearance

Washington Voting Rights Act Preclearance — Covered Jurisdictions and Policies

Beginning July 1, 2026, the jurisdictions listed below must submit certain policy changes to their voting system or process to the Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office must review those proposed policies to determine whether they comply with requirements in the Washington Voting Rights Act. If the policy complies with the law, the Attorney General shall issue a “certificate of no objection” to the submitted policy. The proposed policy changes cannot go into effect until the Attorney General provides a certificate of no objection.

As of July 1, 2026, the following jurisdictions are “covered jurisdictions” and must submit all covered policies to the Attorney General. Submissions should be sent via email to preclearance@atg.wa.gov.

Covered Jurisdiction	Basis for Qualifying as a Covered Jurisdiction
Yakima County	Consent Decree, Court Order
City of Pasco	Partial Consent Decree, Court Order
City of Yakima	Court Order

Policy submissions, as well as any supporting documents, will be published below, along with the status of the Attorney General’s review of the policy and disposition.

Covered Jurisdiction	Covered Policy Submission	Status and Disposition

The law requiring submissions for Attorney General preclearance was passed by the 2026 Legislature and is available here: https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Laws/House/1710-S3.SL.pdf?q=20260623175124.