WA State Has Law Against Felons Running For Office

The Seattle Times reports:

It turns out Washington has a law on the books against convicted felons running for office. It was first established back when Washington was a territory, in 1865, that anyone convicted of “infamous crimes” could be blocked from holding elected office. That was modified in 1959, and then again more recently, to the scheme we have today.

“I have clients lined up who are going to be all over pursuing a ballot challenge in this case,” says David Vogel, a Seattle attorney and former deputy prosecutor for King County who was briefly involved in an earlier ballot challenge against Trump before the presidential primary.

I asked the Secretary of State’s Office if there was some reason this provision allowing ballot challenges against convicted felons might not apply in this case. For example, is it only for state and local candidates, not federal? They answered: “Whether that provision applies would be a question for courts to decide.”

Read the full article. Since the US Constitution does not ban felons from holding office, it seems likely that that a court would rule that it supersedes any such state law when it comes to federal offices like the presidency. But it will be interesting to watch this play out in Washington state.

Wow. Could Washington be the only state with one of the most obvious, common-sense laws imaginable? A law that says felons can’t run for office? https://t.co/04xCApgU9s

— Jill Lawrence (@JillDLawrence) June 2, 2024