H-0106.2          _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 1001

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1991 Regular Session

By Representatives Locke, Ballard, Appelwick, Peery, Ludwig, Belcher, Prince, H. Myers, Tate, Vance, D. Sommers, Morton, Wineberry, Mitchell, Beck, Forner, McLean, Brough, Edmondson, Chandler, P. Johnson, Moyer, Hochstatter, Lisk, Wood, Paris, Casada, Nealey, Brekke, Silver, Wynne, Fraser, May and Anderson.

Read first time January 14, 1991.  Referred to Committee on State Government.

Requiring the top two vote getters in nonpartisan elections to appear on the general election ballot.

     AN ACT Relating to nonpartisan elections; amending RCW 29.21.150 and 29.30.085; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.

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

     Sec. 1.  RCW 29.21.150 and 1975‑'76 2nd ex.s. c 120 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

     The name of the person who receives the greatest number of votes and of the person who receives the next greatest number of votes at the primary for a single nonpartisan position shall appear on the general election ballot under the designation therefor((:  PROVIDED, That in elections for justices of the supreme court, judges of the court of appeals and judges of the superior court, and for state superintendent of public instruction, if any candidate in the primary receives a majority of all the votes cast for the position, only the name of the person receiving the highest vote shall be printed on the general election ballot under the designation for that position, followed by a space for the writing in of any other name by a voter)).

     Sec. 2.  RCW 29.30.085 and 1990 c 59 s 95 are each amended to read as follows:

     (((1) Except as provided under 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 29.30.025.

     (((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, or state superintendent of public instruction, 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.))

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.      Section 1 of this act shall expire July 1, 1992.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.      Section 2 of this act shall take effect July 1, 1992.