S-5202.5  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6873

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature 2000 1st Special Session

By Senators Gardner and Horn

Read first time 04/06/2000.

Clarifying procedures for reporting of election returns.

    AN ACT Relating to reporting of election returns; and amending RCW 29.04.055 and 29.62.090.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 29.04.055 and 1986 c 167 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

    At any ((election, general or)) special election((,)) or ((at any)) primary, the county auditor may combine, unite, or divide precincts and may combine or unite election boards for the purpose of holding such election.  At any general election, the county auditor may combine or unite election boards for the purpose of holding such election, but shall report all election returns by individual precinct.

    Sec. 2. RCW 29.62.090 and 1999 c 298 s 21 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) ((Immediately after the official results of a state primary or general election in a county are ascertained)) After the primary, the county auditor or other election officer shall make an abstract of the number of registered voters in each precinct and of all the votes cast in the county at such ((state)) primary ((or general election)) for and against each state ((measures)) measure and for each candidate or nominee for federal, state, and legislative office ((or)), and for any other office which the secretary of state is required by law to canvass.  Absentee ballot results may be incorporated into results from ballots cast at the polls or may be reported separately.  The abstract shall be entered on blanks furnished by the secretary of state or on compatible computer printouts approved by the secretary of state, and transmitted to the secretary of state no later than the next business day following the certification by the county canvassing board.

    (2) After each general election, the county auditor or other election officer shall ((provide to the secretary of state a report)) make an abstract of the number of registered voters and all ((absentee ballots)) the votes cast in each precinct at such general election for and against each state ((measures)) measure and for each candidate or nominee for federal, state, and legislative office ((or)), and for any other office which the secretary of state is required by law to canvass.  ((The report may be included in the abstract required by this section or may be transmitted to the secretary of state separately, but in no event later than March 31 of the year following the election.))  Absentee ballot results may be incorporated into ((votes)) results from ballots cast at the polls for each precinct or may be reported separately on a precinct-by-precinct basis.  The abstract shall be entered on blanks furnished by the secretary of state or on compatible computer printouts approved by the secretary of state, and transmitted to the secretary of state no later than the next business day following the certification by the county canvassing board.

    (3) ((If)) For absentee ballots ((results are not incorporated into votes)) and for ballots cast at the polls, the county auditor or other election official may aggregate results from more than one precinct if the auditor, pursuant to rules adopted by the secretary of state, finds that reporting a single precinct's ((absentee)) ballot results would jeopardize the secrecy of a person's ballot.  To the extent practicable, precincts for which ((absentee)) results are aggregated shall be contiguous.

                            --- END ---