HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 554

BYRepresentatives Fisher, Miller, Fisch, Day, Allen, Pruitt, P. King, Heavey, Wang, Unsoeld, Dellwo, Leonard, Jacobsen, Wineberry, Jesernig, Nelson, Holm, Rasmussen, Hine, Cole, Belcher, Todd and Lux

Implementing voter registration by mail.

House Committe on Constitution, Elections & Ethics

Majority Report:     The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (5)

     Signed by Representatives Fisher, Chair; Pruitt, Vice Chair; Fisch, Leonard and Sanders.

Minority Report:     Do not pass.  (2)

     Signed by Representatives Amondson and Barnes.

House Staff:Kenneth Hirst (786-7105)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTION, ELECTIONS & ETHICS

FEBRUARY 6, 1987

BACKGROUND:

The county auditor is the chief registrar of voters within the county.  State law directs the auditor to appoint a deputy registrar for each precinct and each common school in the county and for certain fire stations and state offices in the county.  The auditor is also directed to appoint city and town clerks as deputy registrars.  A registration officer must interrogate an applicant for voter registration concerning the applicant's qualifications as a voter.  Unless known to the officer, the applicant must produce certain identification.  The applicant must also sign an oath of registration or the registration officer must refuse to register the applicant.

Each deputy registrar other than a city or town clerk or salaried county employee is entitled to receive a fee of not less than 20 cents for each elector registered.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  APPLICATION BY MAIL OR DELIVERY. A qualified person may register to vote by delivering by mail or otherwise a completed registration form to the county auditor of the county in which the person resides.  If a person mails or delivers a registration form to a county auditor other than the auditor for the county in which the person resides, the form shall immediately be forwarded to the proper county auditor.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION & OATH. In addition to the information an applicant for voter registration must be interrogated about by a registration officer under other provisions of law, an applicant for registration by mail shall provide:  his or her valid Washington driver's license number; or, if the applicant has no such license, a social security number; or, if the applicant has neither such license or number, the number from a valid Washington identicard.  If the application is without such identifying information, the auditor shall not process the form until the information is provided.  If a person cannot provide this information, the person may register to vote in person before a deputy registrar.

The applicant shall sign a registration oath.  The applicant shall also sign a separate portion of the registration card, designated an initiative signature card, which contains certain specified information.  The registration form shall contain a warning indicating that a person who knowingly supplies false information or knowingly makes a false declaration as to qualifications is guilty of a class C felony.

PROCESSING APPLICATIONS.  Upon receiving an application for registration by mail or delivery, the auditor shall review the application to determine whether the information supplied is complete and correct.  If it is not, the auditor shall send a notice of the deficiency to the applicant within 5 days of receiving the application.  If it is complete and correct, the applicant shall be considered registered as of the date the application was received by the auditor.  The auditor shall record certain information and , within 15 days, send by first class mail to the applicant a voter registration card identifying his or her precinct and with other information required by the secretary of state.  The postal service shall be instructed not to forward a voter registration card to any other address and to return undelivered cards to the auditor.

FORMS.  The secretary of state shall adopt an application form for registering by mail which shall be compatible with other registration forms prescribed under law. The form shall contain instructions and other specified information.  The secretary shall furnish registration forms without cost to the counties.  The auditor shall keep a supply of the forms in his or her office for political parties and others interested in assisting registration and make them available to the public.  The auditor shall provide forms to city and town clerks, state offices, schools, fire stations, and other locations.

VIOLATIONS; REGISTRATION FEES REPEALED. Violations shall be prosecuted under applicable sections of the crimes and penalties chapter of the Election Code.  Repealed is a provision of law entitling each deputy registrar, with certain exceptions, to receive a fee for each elector registered.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The original bill states that registration of a voter occurs when an accurate and complete registration form is received and processed by the auditor; the substitute indicates that registration occurs as of the date a complete and correct application is received by the auditor.  The substitute bill permits a person to register by mail directly with the county auditor of the county of the person's permanent residence when temporarily outside of that county. Contained in the original but not the substitute bill is a provision stating that registration cards returned as undeliverable result in the registration being invalid.  Certain duties of the secretary of state found in the original bill are not contained in the substitute.

Fiscal Note:    Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:     Al Brochte, Mason County Auditor; Sam Reed, Thurston County Auditor; Mark Brown, Washington Federation of State Employees; Sarah Chandler, Common Cause.

House Committee - Testified Against: None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:     (1) Now, deputy registrars are paid to find potential voters; the bill places the responsibility on the elector to become registered.  (2) Other states have found that there is no increase in the likelihood of registration fraud with the addition of mail registration.  (3) The work load for processing registrations in states with mail registration tends to become spread out over a longer period; New York has had a reduction in its registration costs. (4) The bill will provide another tool to get people to participate in the election process.

House Committee - Testimony Against: None Presented.