WashCOG waits, watches for governor’s decision on auto-deletions

Aug. 26, 2025 — Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson’s spokesperson told some media recently that his decision on whether state agencies can resume auto-deleting internal electronic messages will be announced “soon.”  It’s unclear if that means days, weeks or months.

It has now been six months plus one week since Washington’s governor told state agencies to stop the weekly destruction of messaging while he reviewed what should happen next. The order was announced on Feb. 17, following a settlement against the Department of Children, Youth & Families over destruction of records. At the time, the governor, who is the former state attorney general, said he would review the matter and present a decision in six months.

Prior to the suspension order, state agencies were destroying millions of internal messages each week, making it impossible in most cases for citizens and journalists to retrieve and review those records. The Washington Coalition for Open Government considers this policy part of the worrying trend toward a culture of secrecy in state government.

Ferguson’s decision on what happens next is a crucial indicator of his commitment to a transparent and open government. We note that WashCOG reached out to the Governor’s Office twice in recent months, asking for a meeting and indicating our desire to take part in the discussion before a decision is made. There has been no response, and we are disappointed that Ferguson has no interest in what our organization has to say.

It’s unclear to us who the governor might be talking to about it, if anyone. We watch and wait, hoping his decision favors the interests of all Washington residents in open government. We hope he views the situation through the lens of a governor serving the people rather than as a lawyer shielding public agencies.

Meanwhile, if Ferguson is still unsure which way to go, we publicly extend our offer again to take part in the discussion.

For more information, contact:

Colette Weeks, executive director, WashCOG cweeks@washcog.org

George Erb, secretary, WashCOG geoerb@seanet.com

Jim Simon, board member, WashCOG simonjj1988@gmail.com