By THE ALASKA STORY
March 6, 2026 – Early Friday morning, the Washington State House of Representatives passed legislation that would allow a state-appointed board to remove elected sheriffs from office — a proposal critics say undermines the authority of voters. The bill has already passed the Senate.
Senate Bill 5974 cleared the House on a strict party-line vote, with every Democrat voting in favor and every Republican opposed. The bill now returns to the Senate for concurrence before heading to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk.
Numerous elected sheriffs across Washington say the measure shifts power away from voters and toward an unelected state body.
The most controversial provision allows the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission, a governor-appointed board, to revoke a sheriff’s law enforcement certification for misconduct. Because certification is required to serve, revocation would automatically remove a sheriff from office.
Republican lawmakers and several sheriffs say the bill is widely viewed as targeting Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank, a conservative sheriff who has been openly critical of state policies.
Republicans in the House have dubbed the measure the “get rid of Keith Swank bill.”
Swank himself did not mince words.
“Sheriffs who dare push back get targeted,” he said, according to the Seattle Red news site. “This is payback, not policy.”
Other sheriffs echoed concerns that the legislation undermines local control and the will of voters.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said the proposal represents a fundamental challenge to democratic accountability.
“It’s undemocratic. It’s as simple as that,” Sanders said on The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM. “This is voter suppression wrapped up in a blanket and called police accountability.”
Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison issued a lengthy statement warning that the bill could erode constitutional principles and shift authority away from voters.
“The most concerning provision of SB 5974 grants an unelected state board the authority to remove a duly elected Sheriff from office,” Morrison wrote. “This represents a fundamental shift of power away from voters and toward centralized authority. The Office of Sheriff belongs to the people of each county, not the Legislature.”
Morrison noted that both the Washington State Sheriffs’ Association and the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs oppose the bill.
He also warned about the precedent it could set.
“If the Legislature may authorize an unelected body to remove an elected Sheriff, where does that authority stop?” Morrison asked. “Does it next extend to Prosecutors, Judges, or County Commissioners whose decisions or viewpoints are unpopular?”
During committee testimony, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels raised similar concerns.
The bill “undermines two bedrock principles of Washington state law: voter sovereignty and free elections,” Nowels told lawmakers.
In addition to the removal provision, the legislation raises the minimum age for sheriff candidates to 25 and requires at least five years of law enforcement experience.
This is the third consecutive year Washington lawmakers have attempted to pass legislation aimed at restructuring the office of sheriff.
With the House vote complete, SB 5974 now returns to the Senate. If the Senate concurs with the House version, the bill will move to Gov. Ferguson for his signature, all but guaranteed.
3 thoughts on “Washington House Democrats pass bill allowing appointed board to remove elected sheriffs”
Anytime that doesn’t benefit Democrats then it isn’t good. But before you get all mad and annoyed. It’s not personal its business of establishing and maintaining a Democrat governing government. Republicans of Alaska could learn a lesson in Democrats Team work skills. How if you are going to carry an R next tk your name then you are not individual. You are a team member and expected to act like one.
I hope this is challenged in court. County officials want control………..just like in Alaska, where we don’t have elected sheriffs, so the state DPS and local politicians have complete control of law enforcement, and the residents have no recourse whatsoever.
This is one of many reasons we needed to keep the MAGA collation together at all costs. Marxists are crazy. They will definitely kill you, as the unfortunate past reminds us. There is no reasoning with them.
To those rightists who think it is of no matter to wreck our coalition, think of this the next time you so blithely want to damage it.