Staff Reports
The Heritage Foundation’s updated Election Integrity Scorecard has put Washington state near the bottom of the list, and people on both sides of the debate are arguing over what that actually means. The 2026 scorecard moved the goalposts by putting more weight on proof-of-citizenship and voter-list maintenance. That change dropped Washington to 46th out of the 50 states and D.C., and the reaction is loud, predictable, and worth sorting through.
What the Election Integrity Scorecard changed
The Heritage Foundation tweaked its 2026 Election Integrity Scorecard to give more weight to proof-of-citizenship rules and bans on foreign funding of ballot measures. The tool still checks 15 areas like voter ID, absentee-ballot rules, automatic voter registration, post-election audits, and list maintenance. Because Washington relies on vote-by-mail and automatic registration in many places, the new weighting hit the state hard.
Why Washington scored low on voter registration and list maintenance
The scorecard flags Washington for not requiring documentary proof of citizenship at the point of registration and for automatic registration policies tied to agency transactions. Washington uses a centralized voter database and updates it monthly, but critics say that isn’t enough. Washington GOP Chairman and state Rep. Jim Walsh put it bluntly: “There is no proof when people register to vote.” That line lands because most voters expect registration checks to be real, not just a checked box.
State response and the politics of trust
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs pushed back, saying some of Heritage’s criteria are unlawful or in legal dispute and reminding people that documented voter fraud in Washington is rare—five cases from 2008 through 2025 out of roughly 90 million ballots. Fine. Rarity of proven fraud is an important fact. But rarity alone is not a plan for prevention. If you run a shipping company, you don’t stop locking trucks because theft is rare—you double down on locks when you learn how it might happen.
Fixes that respect both access and election integrity
The smartest response from state leaders is simple and practical: improve list maintenance, tighten documentary verification where legal, and make audits and enforcement clearer and stronger. Conservatives should push for common-sense proof-of-citizenship measures that survive court scrutiny. Democrats and officials who favor broad access should show they can protect the rolls without blocking voters. Voters deserve both ease and trust. If Washington wants to climb off the Heritage list, lawmakers and the secretary of state need to stop arguing in slogans and start fixing the gaps in law and practice.
