Washington state Rep. Joel McEntire, R-Cathlamet, owes a $500 fine to the Legislative Ethics Board for his conduct on social media.
The punishment for the 19th Legislative District lawmaker was handed out specifically because of an online interaction with Lewis County resident Brittany Voie.
The Washington state Legislative Ethics Board published its official decision on Wednesday, Sept. 2, finding that McEntire violated a state ethics law that bars state officials from misusing special privileges.
In this case, those privileges were access to personal and confidential information.
“Respondent clearly creates the impression that, as a legislator, he has access to confidential information held by state agencies about the constituent's use of government benefits programs,” reads the decision. “The complainant was clearly concerned that he would obtain that information and post it for all to see on his Facebook page as he has done in the past.”
The decision ordered McEntire to pay a $500 fine, but suspended half of that sum — $250 — assuming he avoids further ethics violations through the end of the 2028 general election cycle.
When contacted by The Chronicle, McEntire referred to the fine issued by the ethics board as “silly” but said he would not challenge the decision.
“One thing I’ve learned in the Legislature is you don’t really do well on appeals with the Legislative Ethics Board, so whether or not I agree with the ruling, it’s easier to just pay the fine and move forward,” McEntire said.
In a Facebook comment after the ruling was handed down, McEntire implied that he would not need to pay the fine himself, suggesting it would be paid by someone else.
While the decision does not identify her by name, Voie has posted on social media about the interaction. She posted the ruling to her Facebook page with a message: “VICTORY LAP! REP. JOEL MCENTIRE FINED $500 FOR BEING A D-CK TO ME ON THE INTERNET.”
In response to a request for comment on the ruling, Voie forwarded a statement Thursday afternoon. In the statement, she said she felt “incredibly vindicated" and referred to a long history of concerns over McEntire’s conduct on social media.
“For too long, concerns about Rep. McEntire’s conduct have been dismissed as simply political disagreements or poor personal behavior online, but my complaint was always about something more serious: an elected official invoking the power and access of his legislative office in a way that crossed an ethical line — even while using his personal Facebook page,” Voie wrote.
She went on to emphasize the need for accountability and ensure that public figures are not misusing their privileges before commending the decision from the Legislative Ethics Board.
Within the decision, the board detailed the process of verifying the complaint brought by Voie, which alleges McEntire violated both RCW 42.52.070 and RCW 42.52.160.
The first concerns the use of special privileges afforded to state officials, while the second concerns using an office for personal gain. The board found McEntire to have violated the former but not the latter.
The decision specifically cites one Facebook interaction between McEntire and Voie from last April when McEntire ridiculed Voie for allegedly using government benefits — food stamps — and stated he would check what other benefits she uses.
“If you had a more successful page, you wouldn't need to be on food stamps,” McEntire wrote on Facebook. “Let me check in and see what other great government programs you take advantage of."
The decision also notes exchanges between the board and McEntire, including his lack of a response when asked why he posted the statement.
It also states McEntire told the board that Voie used food benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, said he would post benefit information online, and ultimately did not follow through on the threat to check if Voie benefited from other programs.
McEntire has had a history of questionable conduct on social media during his time in the Legislature and has been the subject of a number of ethics complaints. The ethics board’s decision specifically notes McEntire’s history of calling people demeaning names such as “STD riddled feminist, drug addicts and prostitutes,” and one referring to people with intellectual disabilities.
It also noted he has posted photos of individuals he was bickering with and information about their personal lives, such as where they live and work.
A public records request by The Chronicle to the Legislative Ethics Board returned 17 complaints filed from 2023 to 2025, most of which were related to his conduct on social media.
The behavior stretches back at least to the spring of 2023 when The Chronicle first reported that a Twitter account was calling other users demeaning names. At the time, McEntire stated that the account was being run by a child, despite some evidence to the contrary. For more on that episode, visit https://tinyurl.com/5a7b2d2h.
The Chronicle again reported about the behavior in October of last year. See the reporting at https://tinyurl.com/4cvz4yts.
While the history is well documented, the Legislative Ethics Board has repeatedly declined to take punitive action in the past, on the grounds that the board did not have the authority to do so because all instances were related to personal social media accounts and not official legislative accounts.
A recent decision from the board issued in May in response to two ethics complaints against McEntire declined to take punitive action, stating the board did not have “subject matter jurisdiction over what a legislator has posted on his personal social media account.”
McEntire has at times even emphasized that separation between his personal social media page and his role as a state legislator.
The Facebook page most frequently related to these complaints includes the note “not a legislative page” while also stating “I am still a State Representative.”
At the same time, McEntire in one instance last September was critical of personal social media posts from a Lewis County employee. McEntire openly criticized former Lewis County Deputy Coroner Paul Bromm on Facebook for posts he made to a personal account making light of Charlie Kirk’s death.
Those comments by McEntire, which referred to Bromm and his posts as “disgusting” and brought them to the attention of Lewis County Commissioner Sean Swope, eventually led to Bromm’s termination. Bromm has since filed a federal lawsuit against Lewis County alleging his termination violated his First Amendment right to free speech, among others.
For reporting by The Chronicle on the Bromm case. visit https://tinyurl.com/mr2jhra4.
In just the last few days, McEntire has also come under fire for a campaign endorsement posted to his personal Facebook page.
McEntire’s political opponent for this election cycle, Longview Democrat Terry Carlson, accused McEntire in a Thursday Facebook post of falsely claiming a financial and political endorsement from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.
When reached for comment by The Chronicle, McEntire said he received an endorsement from the union and had worked with them in the past. He alleged Carlson, who is well affiliated with labor unions, had “put pressure on them” to pull their endorsement.
“They caved to that pressure,” McEntire said. “It’s not that I wasn’t endorsed. It’s that they put pressure on me to take down my post and to not cash my endorsement check.”
According to McEntire, he complied with those requests from the union.
In support of his claim, McEntire forwarded photos of a letter received by the union showing a financial contribution of $1,200 to the Committee to Elect Joel McEntire with a postmark from Aug. 25, 2026.
Union representation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
McEntire collected fewer votes than Carlson in the August primary election, with the Democrat earning 43.23% of the ballots and McEntire, the Republican incumbent, garnering 41.62%. There were two other Republicans in the race, collectively receiving more than 6,000 votes.
McEntire and Carlson will face off in the Nov. 3 general election.
