Leaders say investigation underway after questionable rapid online sign‑ins at millionaire's tax hearings

Reporters asked whether rapid, unusual sign‑in activity at recent hearings on the proposed millionaire's income tax amounted to fraud. Speaker Laura Jones said the chief clerk received a complaint with specific examples and that the legislature is investigating potential misuse of the remote sign‑in system.

Jones emphasized the trade‑off: the remote sign‑in system has broadened public participation since the pandemic, and any fixes must not exclude Washingtonians from testifying. She said staff will look for thematic patterns and suggested changes could be made during the interim.

Senate Majority Leader Jamie Peterson and other leaders agreed that sign‑in tallies are imperfect: the system was intended to let people quickly express support or opposition, not to function like a ballot. Peterson said the Senate will review possible technical solutions and noted that the consent calendar already requires unanimous committee support and no sign‑ins to be placed on consent.

Evidence cited in the briefing: Jones gave a concrete example from the complaint — Senator Victoria Hunt appeared on a sign‑in list as "con" although she had voted for the bill — and multiple speakers said that some sign‑in anomalies are consistent with mistaken entries or non‑testifying sign‑ins rather than clear criminal schemes.

Next steps: leaders said staff and relevant committee chairs will investigate during the interim, explore technical safeguards to limit bot sign‑ins where feasible, and aim to preserve public access to testimony.