HOUSE BILL REPORT

EHB 1996

BYRepresentatives McLean, R. Fisher, Ballard, Rector, Rayburn, Miller, Brumsickle, Holland, Sayan, Prince, Anderson and Winsley

Revising voter registration cancellation procedures.

House Committe on State Government

Majority Report:  Do pass with amendment.  (9)

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

House Staff:Kenneth Hirst (786-7105)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 15, 1989

BACKGROUND:

Whenever certain information is sent to a registered voter and is returned by the postal service as undeliverable, the county auditor must inquire into the validity of the registration of that voter.  The auditor must send a notice to the person at the address indicated on the voter's registration record.  If the auditor does not receive a response within 60 days, the auditor must cancel that voter's registration and notify the person of this cancellation.  However, if the person responds to the notice of cancellation within 45 days, the auditor must reinstate the person's voter registration.

If a person whose registration has been cancelled in this manner offers to vote at any time within four years of the cancellation, the person must be issued a questioned ballot and the validity of the person's registration and ballot must be determined by the canvassing board.

SUMMARY:

BILL AS AMENDED:  Procedures are altered for inquiring into the validity of a voter's registration following the return of certain information by the postal service as being undeliverable.  The period during which a voter must respond to the initial such inquiry sent by the county auditor is shortened.  The person must respond within 45 days (rather than, under current law, 60 days) or the person's registration must be cancelled.  The auditor's subsequent receipt of a satisfactory response from the voter still reinstates the registration of the voter, but the provisions of law permitting a person whose registration has been cancelled in this manner to cast a questioned ballot at any time in the next four years are altered.  The person may cast such a ballot only at the next ensuing election.

AMENDED BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The amendment corrects an erroneous reference to a 60-day response period.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Karen Flynn, Kitsap County Auditor; and Gary Zandell, Lewis County Auditor.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    (1) The bill will help "clean up" the registration lists.  Studies indicate that 15 to 30 percent of the population moves within any two-year period.  The current procedures for removing the old registrations of these people from the files is too cumbersome. (2) Currently, cancellation records must be maintained for four years. This bill will require these records to be maintained only until the next general election.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.