The Washington State Legislature has undergone a significant transformation in public engagement following the necessity to operate remotely during the pandemic, a change that now seems to be reshaping how citizens participate in legislative processes.
This shift comes after lawmakers long resisted the notion of taking testimony from individuals participating remotely.
However, with the challenges posed by COVID-19, thousands of people signed up to testify remotely during the recent legislative session, enabling them to participate from a variety of locations—be it their homes, offices, or even their cars.
The impact of this new format is substantial, with thousands more opting to express their support or opposition to pending legislation online without necessarily testifying.
Organizations advocating for or against certain bills have increasingly highlighted these online participation numbers to strengthen their stance during the discussions.
During the legislative session, when crowds filled hearings on particularly contentious bills, lawmakers often sought to discern how many individuals had expressed their opinions through the online registration option, viewing it as an additional indicator of public sentiment.
“It’s encouraging to see more people engaging—testifying in committee, sharing comments on legislation, and emailing lawmakers,” remarked House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma.
“We’ve worked to expand these options so that people across the state, including those far from Olympia, can participate.”
This past session, House committees conducted 326 meetings with public hearings, during which 11,768 individuals signed up to testify, both in person and remotely.
Of those, 8,963—76%—were able to present their views, according to legislative staff figures.
Moreover, 585,378 people logged in to make their viewpoints known without wishing to testify.
In the Senate, there were 302 committee sessions holding public hearings, where 10,037 individuals expressed a desire to speak.
In total, 615,023 people provided their input without testifying over the course of the 105-day session, which is three times the participation from the shorter 2024 session.
“The increased engagement is a positive development,” asserted Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia.
“It means more public engagement. Now they have a way to express their opinion on a deeply unpopular bill.”
Braun highlighted the case of legislation proposed by Democrats to repeal a voter-approved limit on property tax growth, which faced staunch opposition from Republicans.
When the Senate version of this bill reached the Senate Ways and Means Committee, overwhelming opposition was apparent, with 308 individuals signing in to speak, of whom 288 were opposed.
Additionally, of the 45,174 who chose not to testify, an impressive 42,865 articulated their opposition through the sign-in logs available online.
A similar pattern emerged during a House Finance Committee hearing on the original proposal to raise the cap on annual property tax growth, conducted on April 3.
This time, 16,027 individuals who refrained from testifying registered their opposition, contrasted with just 2,183 who supported the bill.
Ultimately, the contentious property tax provision was stripped from the legislation.
“Providing the option of remote testimony helps open the door to the state capital and allows more voices to be heard before laws are passed affecting the daily lives of citizens and businesses,” stated Jason Mercier, an advocate for remote testimony who had pushed for its implementation over a decade ago.
Mercier recollected testifying remotely for the first time in May 2013, a move championed by Republican Mike Padden, a former state senator from Spokane, who recognized early the potential for remote participation to benefit his constituents.
By 2019, the Senate made remote testimony a permanent fixture, while the House trialed it with several of its panels, paving the way for smooth operations during the pandemic.
As the influence of COVID-19 emerged in early 2020, it became clear that lawmakers would need to adapt, ultimately working entirely from home in 2021 and limiting physical presence in 2022.
Since returning to in-person sessions, lawmakers have integrated remote options as a standard practice in their legislative proceedings.
“Washington state is now the model for other states across the country for remote testimony,” Mercier remarked, reflecting on the evolution of participation in the state’s legislative processes.
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