By The Herald Editorial Board
It’s been more than 20 years since Al Swift represented the 2nd Congressional District for Washington state, but legislation and issues that Swift championed continue to benefit the district, state and nation and have inspired efforts that have built on his legacy.
Swift, who represented the district from 1979 to 1995, died Friday at 82 at a hospital in Alexandria, Virginia.
A native Washingtonian, Swift was a broadcast journalist, including work as news director at Bellingham’s KVOS-TV, Channel 12, and also taught journalism at Western Washington University. Having previously run the congressional campaign of Lloyd Meeds in 1964, then serving for several years as his administrative assistant, Swift ran for Meeds’ seat in 1978 when he decided not to seek re-election.
Swift is being remembered for his knowledge and work regarding the environment, transportation, energy, election laws and broadcast deregulation, but also for his ability to work across the aisle in the manner of fellow Democrats and 2nd District representatives Meeds and Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson. Swift represented a diverse and expansive district that during much of his tenure included all of Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island and San Juan counties, but also most of the Olympic Peninsula.
Among his work, Swift helped to craft the Washington Park Wilderness Act of 1988, which designated wilderness areas within Olympic, Rainier and North Cascades national parks; the Northwest Power Act, which created the four-state Northwest Power and Conservation Council to balance the concerns of hydroelectric power production and fish and wildlife protection; and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, more popularly known as the “motor-voter” act for allowing citizens to register to vote while applying for or renewing driver’s licenses.
Energy projections by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, which show slower growth in energy demand because of conservation efforts and energy efficiency improvements, were a factor in the recent decision by the Snohomish County PUD to cancel a hydroelectric project on the Skykomish River’s South Fork at Sunset Falls.
Swift’s motor-voter bill was initially vetoed by President George H.W. Bush in 1992, but later made law with President Bill Clinton’s signature the following year.
Swift had to defend the bill against charges by some Republicans that it would be abused and lead to voter fraud.
“The fraud issue that is being raised here today is the biggest fraud in this entire debate,” Swift said on the House floor in 1993, prior to its passage.
Twenty years after its adoption, a report by the Congressional Research Service found that between 1992 and 2012, national voter registration numbers increased by more than 7 percentage points. At the same time the report found no evidence of an increase in voter fraud as a result of the 1993 act.
This year, the state Legislature built on Swift’s motor-voter legacy. Among the election legislation made law earlier this year was House Bill 2595. Sought for three years by Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman, it automatically registers citizens to vote when they are approved for an enhanced driver’s license or state identification card.
That bill, along with passage of the Voting Rights Act and the Future Voter Program, which allows youths to pre-register to vote when they turn 16, will improve public access to elections as well as security for voter registration, Wyman said in March.
That legislation and Swift’s motor-voter bill have made it easier for citizens to register to vote, but the final step remains in voters’ hands to return their ballots. Today is the deadline for a special election for the Sno-Isle Libraries districts, the Darrington School District and the Index fire district. As of Monday, the Snohomish County Elections office reported that only 19 percent of ballots in today’s special election had been returned.
Voters can best honor their former congressman today by returning their ballots.
April 24 special election
Voters within Sno-Isle Libraries districts are being asked to vote on a ballot measure that would restore the library system’s property tax levy to 47 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. For more information and an online open house, go to tinyurl.com/SnoIsleLevyInfo.
Voters in Darrington are being asked to vote on a four-year programs and operation levy of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value.
And voters in Index will vote on a proposal to merge Fire District 28 into Fire District 26, creating one district for fire and emergency medical services for Index, Gold Bar and the surrounding area.
To find the nearest Snohomish County ballot drop box go to tinyurl.com/SnoCoBallotBoxes.
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