HOUSE BILL REPORT

EHB 1129

BYRepresentatives R. Fisher, McLean, Anderson, Jacobsen, Nelson, Wineberry, Rector, O'Brien, Braddock, Belcher, Wang, R. King, Phillips, Cooper, G. Fisher, Pruitt, Fraser, Leonard, Raiter, Rust, Jesernig, Jones, Crane, Brekke, H. Myers and Spanel

Implementing voter registration by mail.

House Committe on State Government

Majority Report:  Do pass with amendments.  (10)

      Signed by Representatives R. Fisher, Chair; Anderson, Vice Chair; McLean, Ranking Republican Member; Hankins, R. King, Morris, O'Brien, Rector, Sayan and Silver.

House Staff:Tim Burke (786-7103) and Kenneth Hirst (786-7105)

Rereferred House Committee on Appropriations

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended by Committee on State Government.  (27)

      Signed by Representatives Grant, Vice Chair; H. Sommers, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Republican Member; Youngsman, Assistant Ranking Republican Member; Appelwick, Belcher, Bowman, Braddock, Brekke, Dorn, Doty, Ebersole, Ferguson, Hine, Holland, May, McLean, Nealey, Padden, Peery, Rust, Sayan, Spanel, Sprenkle, Valle, Wang and Wineberry.

Minority Report:  Do not pass. (1)

      Signed by Representative Locke, Chair.

House Staff:      Randy Acker (786-7136)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 13, 1989

BACKGROUND:

The county auditor is the chief registrar of voters within the county.  State law directs the auditor to appoint certain deputy registrars and permits the appointment of other registrars.  A registration officer must interrogate an applicant for voter registration concerning the applicant's qualifications as a voter.  The applicant must produce identification when it is necessary to establish the applicant's date of birth.  The applicant must also sign an oath of registration or the registration officer must refuse to register the applicant.

Whenever a voter registration card is sent by an auditor to a new registrant but is returned by the postal service as undeliverable, the auditor must initiate an inquiry into the validity of the registration of that voter.

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:

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 must be immediately 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 must 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, the number from a valid Washington identicard.  If the application is without this identifying information, the auditor may 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 must sign a registration oath.  The applicant must also sign a separate portion of the registration card, designated an initiative signature card, which contains certain specified information.  The registration form must 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 must review the application to determine whether the information supplied is complete and correct.  If it is not, the auditor must send a notice of the deficiency to the applicant within 5 days of receiving the application.  If it is complete and correct, the applicant is considered to be registered as of the date the application was received by the auditor.

TRANSMITTING REGISTRATION CARDS; CANCELLATIONS.  The auditor must send the applicant, within 15 days and by first class mail, a voter registration card identifying his or her precinct and with other information required by the Secretary of State.  The postal service is to be instructed not to forward a voter registration card to any other address and to return undelivered cards to the auditor.  If such a voter registration card is returned as undeliverable, the registration of the voter must be immediately cancelled.  Notice regarding the cancellation must be sent to the voter by the end of the next business day.

FORMS.   The Secretary of State must adopt an application form for registering by mail which is to be compatible with other registration forms prescribed under law. The Secretary must furnish registration forms without cost to the counties.

REGISTRATION FEES REPEALED.  A provision of law is repealed which entitles each deputy registrar, with certain exceptions, to receive a fee for each elector registered.

Fiscal Note:      Available.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    (State Government) Gary McIntosh, Office of the Secretary of State; Dean Williams, Snohomish County Auditor; Karen Flynn, Kitsap County Auditor; Cindy Zehnder, Joint Council of Teamsters; Stan Finkelstein, Washington Association of Cities; Bill Provost, Stevens County Auditor; Darlene DeRosier, Cowlitz County Auditor; Gary Olson, Skamania County Auditor; Larry Eason, Washington Public Interest Research Group; Margot Beutler, Human SERVE Campaign; Lael Braymer, League of Women Voters of Washington; John Burbank, Washington State Labor Council; Tim Likness, Clark County Auditor.

(Appropriations) Representative Wineberry; Don Whiting, Secretary of State; Gary McIntosh, Secretary of State; Lael Braymer,League of Women Voters; Fred Saeger, Washington Association of County Officials.

House Committee - Testified Against:      (State Government) None Presented.

(Appropriations)  None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    (State Government) (1) Commercial fishermen, mine and forest workers, power line crews, teamsters, and others have difficulty getting to public offices to register to vote during regular business hours.  The bill will provide a means for these people to register easily.  (2) This bill makes voter registration more accessible and probably reduces registration costs.  (3) Something must be done to reduce the trend of fewer persons being registered to vote.  It should be government's duty to register its citizens.

(Appropriations) The level of registration and voting in recent elections shows that the current approach to voter registration is inadequate.  This measure will make it possible for greater numbers of people to get out and vote and could help reverse the trend of declining voter registration.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      (State Government) None Presented.

(Appropriations) None Presented.