Democratic Washington state Sen. Manka Dhingra was fined by the ethics board for using public resources when she encouraged people to register to vote at an abortion rights event last summer.
Dhingra was fined $250 on Tuesday in an order from the ethics board and must pay back $92.43, the reimbursement amount she was given for her mileage to the conference, which was held the day after the United States Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.
“While members remain free to voice their views on electoral participation, the use of public resources to solicit people to register to vote or advise them how to vote is not considered normal and regular conduct for a legislative office and would violate [the statute],” the board’s order states as reported by the Seattle Times on Friday.
The event was held in response to the court's ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, where Dhingra voiced her concerns alongside several state legislators and Gov. Jay Inslee about the need for increased protections for reproductive care. Inslee told reporters at the conference that shortly after the Dobbs decision, Democratic governors from California and Oregon came together to discuss a multi-state commitment to protecting abortion access and reproductive resources such as birth control.Dhingra told the outlet she would fulfill the reimbursements of mileage expenses and pay the ordered fine, noting she was invited by Inslee to “comment on the state response to the Dobbs decision.
“I wasn’t aware that I could not tell people to register to vote in my official capacity as a state senator,” Dhingra said in a statement.
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