An Open Letter to Governor Jay Inslee Regarding SB 6617

Governor Jay Inslee:

We, the members of the student chapter of the Society of American Archivists at Western Washington University, strongly urge you to veto Senate Bill 6617 which would make records of the State Legislature exempt from the Public Records Act. As students training in archival and records management methods — and some of us hoping to work within our local, state, and federal governments — we believe in the power to hold our elected officials accountable through open access to information. SB 6617 betrays that principle as well as your own stated mission to bring more transparency and accountability to our state government.

Secrecy weakens public trust, breeds corruption, and engenders cynical apathy among the electorate. A healthy democracy must allow the voters to scrutinize its elected leaders. We are especially concerned with the way this bill passed through the legislature without any possibility for public debate. If you have the courage to challenge our President on critical issues you disagree with, surely you have the courage to stand up to your own Legislature and urge them to reconsider this unconscionable bill.

Sincerely,

The Western Washington University’s Student Chapter of the Society of American Archivists

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