BILL REQ. #: S-1525.2
| State of Washington | 60th Legislature | 2007 Regular Session |
Read first time 02/12/2007. Referred to Committee on Government Operations & Elections.
AN ACT Relating to establishing the option to use ranked choice voting by cities and local taxing districts; amending RCW 29A.04.311, 29A.36.010, 29A.36.170, 29A.36.171, 29A.52.111, and 29A.52.210; adding a new chapter to Title 29A RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1
(2) The legislature intends to allow city, town, and district
governments to use ranked choice voting in counties where ranked choice
voting has been approved and implemented for county elections.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2
(1) "Choice" means an indication on a ballot of a voter's ranking
of candidates for any single office according to the voter's
preference.
(2) "Local government" means any county, city, town, special
purpose district, school district, port district, or other governmental
subdivision or municipal corporation having nonpartisan elected
officers.
(3) "Ranked choice voting" means a system of voting where the
following circumstances and procedures pertain:
(a) Three or more candidates are running for the same office;
(b) Voters may designate candidates for the same office in order of
preference by indicating a first choice, a second choice, a third
choice, and so on for as many candidates as are on the ballot; and
(c) If no candidate receives a majority of first choice votes, the
winner of the election is determined by the method of giving effect to
votes as provided for in the ranked choice voting system adopted by the
local government.
(4) "Vote" means a ballot choice that is counted toward election of
a candidate.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4
Sec. 5 RCW 29A.04.311 and 2006 c 344 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
Nominating primaries for general elections to be held in November,
and the election of precinct committee officers, must be held on the
third Tuesday of the preceding August. This section does not apply to
elections conducted under ranked choice voting pursuant to chapter
29A.-- RCW (sections 1 through 4 of this act), where the primary has
been eliminated.
Sec. 6 RCW 29A.36.010 and 2005 c 2 s 12 are each amended to read
as follows:
On or before the day following the last day allowed for candidates
to withdraw under RCW ((29A.24.130)) 29A.24.131, the secretary of state
shall certify to each county auditor a list of the candidates who have
filed declarations of candidacy in his or her office for the primary if
a primary is to be held, or for the general election if not. For each
office, the certificate shall include the name of each candidate, his
or her address, and in the case of partisan elections his or her party
preference or independent designation as shown on filed declarations.
Sec. 7 RCW 29A.36.170 and 2005 c 2 s 6 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) For any office for which a primary was held, only the names of
the top two candidates will appear on the general election ballot; the
name of the candidate who received the greatest number of votes will
appear first and the candidate who received the next greatest number of
votes will appear second. No candidate's name may be printed on the
subsequent general election ballot unless he or she receives at least
one percent of the total votes cast for that office at the preceding
primary, if a primary was conducted. On the ballot at the general
election for an office for which no primary was held, the names of the
candidates shall be listed in the order determined under RCW
((29A.36.130)) 29A.36.131.
(2) For the office of justice of the supreme court, judge of the
court of appeals, judge of the superior court, or state superintendent
of public instruction, if a primary is held for such office and if a
candidate in a contested primary receives a majority of all the votes
cast for that office or position, only the name of that candidate may
be printed for that position on the ballot at the general election.
Sec. 8 RCW 29A.36.171 and 2004 c 271 s 170 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) Except as provided in RCW 29A.36.180 and in subsection (2) of
this section, on the ballot at the general election for a nonpartisan
office for which a primary was held, only the names of the candidate
who received the greatest number of votes and the candidate who
received the next greatest number of votes for that office shall appear
under the title of that office, and the names shall appear in that
order. If a primary was conducted, no candidate's name may be printed
on the subsequent general election ballot unless he or she receives at
least one percent of the total votes cast for that office at the
preceding primary. On the ballot at the general election for any other
nonpartisan office for which no primary was held, the names of the
candidates shall be listed in the order determined under RCW
29A.36.131.
(2) On the ballot at the general election for the office of justice
of the supreme court, judge of the court of appeals, judge of the
superior court, judge of the district court, or state superintendent of
public instruction, if a primary is held for such office and if a
candidate in a contested primary receives a majority of all the votes
cast for that office or position, only the name of that candidate may
be printed under the title of the office for that position.
Sec. 9 RCW 29A.52.111 and 2004 c 271 s 173 are each amended to
read as follows:
Candidates for the following offices shall be nominated at partisan
primaries held pursuant to the provisions of this chapter:
(1) Congressional offices;
(2) All state offices except (a) judicial offices and (b) the
office of superintendent of public instruction;
(3) All county offices except (a) judicial offices ((and)), (b)
those offices where a county home rule charter provides otherwise, and
(c) elections conducted under ranked choice voting pursuant to chapter
29A.-- RCW (sections 1 through 4 of this act) in which the primary has
been eliminated.
Sec. 10 RCW 29A.52.210 and 2003 c 111 s 1305 are each amended to
read as follows:
All city and town primaries shall be nonpartisan. Primaries for
special purpose districts, except those districts that require
ownership of property within the district as a prerequisite to voting,
shall be nonpartisan. City, town, and district primaries shall be held
as provided in RCW ((29A.04.310)) 29A.04.311 or chapter 29A.-- RCW
(sections 1 through 4 of this act) related to ranked choice voting.
The purpose of this section is to establish the holding of a
primary, subject to the exemptions in RCW 29A.52.220 and chapter 29A.--RCW (sections 1 through 4 of this act), as a uniform procedural
requirement to the holding of city, town, and district elections.
These provisions supersede any and all other statutes, whether general
or special in nature, having different election requirements.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 Captions used in this act are not any part
of the law.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 12 If any provision of this act or its
application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
persons or circumstances is not affected.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 13 Sections 1 through 4 of this act constitute
a new chapter in Title