Washington state ponders bill targeting election lies

OLYMPIA, Washington — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday urged state lawmakers to approve a bill that would make it a crime for elected officials or candidates to knowingly lie about election outcomes if those claims result in violence.

Inslee, a Democrat, said that the measure “confronts an unrelenting threat that is a clear and present danger in our society.”

Inslee proposed the bill this month, citing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and an incident that same day where a group breached the gate of his residence in the state capital of Olympia — which prompted Washington state security officials to rush him to a safe room.

“The big lie, that we can’t trust our democracy to count the votes, has become a weapon, and that weapon is being used all over America, including right here in our state and it will again incite violence,” Inslee told the state’s Senate Government and Elections Committee.

The measure would make it a make it a gross misdemeanour with penalties of up to a year in jail and a $5,000 US fine for candidates and elected officials to “knowingly, recklessly, or maliciously” lie about election results that result in violence.

They would also be prohibited from falsely claiming they are entitled to elected positions they did not win and from making false statements that undermine election processes or results.

In addition to the criminal penalties, elected officials who are convicted would also be removed from office.

Opponents have argued the bill is not constitutional, but Inslee told the committee his staff worked with legal scholars to refine the bill and protect First Amendment rights to free speech.