CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

              ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1571

                        52nd Legislature

                      1991 Regular Session

Passed by the House March 13, 1991

  Yeas 97   Nays 0

Speaker of the

       House of Representatives

Passed by the Senate April 11, 1991

  Yeas 45   Nays 0

President of the Senate

Approved Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.

Governor of the State of Washington

CERTIFICATE

I, Alan Thompson, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1571 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

Chief Clerk

                                     FILED         

                        Secretary of State   

                       State of Washington  

                  _______________________________________________

                       ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1571

                  _______________________________________________

                     Passed Legislature - 1991 Regular Session

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1991 Regular Session

By House Committee on State Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Jones, McLean, Anderson, Hargrove, Ferguson, Phillips and Jacobsen).

Read first time February 22, 1991.  Requiring a recount by hand of election returns that have a difference of less than one-fourth of one percent.

     AN ACT Relating to recounting votes; amending RCW 29.64.015; adding a new section to chapter 29.64 RCW; creating a new section; and repealing RCW 29.64.050.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.      The legislature finds that it is in the public interest to determine the winner of close contests for elective offices as expeditiously and as accurately as possible.  It is the purpose of this act to provide procedures which promote the prompt and accurate recounting of votes for elective offices and which provide closure to the recount process.

     Sec. 2.  RCW 29.64.015 and 1987 c 54 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) If the official canvass of all of the returns for any office at any primary or election reveals that the difference in the number of votes cast for a candidate apparently nominated or elected to any office and the number of votes cast for the closest apparently defeated opponent is not more than one-half of one percent of the total number of votes cast for both candidates, the county canvassing board shall conduct((, or the secretary of state shall direct the appropriate county canvassing boards to conduct,))  a recount of all votes cast on that position.

(a) Whenever such a difference occurs in the number of votes cast for candidates for a position which appears on the ballot in more than one county, the secretary of state shall, within three business days of the day that the returns of the primary or election are first certified by the canvassing boards of those counties, direct those boards to recount all votes cast on the position.

(b) Whenever the difference in the number of votes cast for such candidates is less than one-fourth of one percent of the total number of votes cast for both candidates, the votes shall be recounted manually.

(2) A mandatory recount shall be conducted in the manner provided by RCW 29.64.020, 29.64.030, and 29.64.040.  No cost of a mandatory recount may be charged to any candidate.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 29.64 RCW to read as follows:

     After being counted, the votes cast in any single precinct may not be recounted more than twice.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.      RCW 29.64.050 and 1990 c 59 s 67 & 1965 c 9 s 29.64.050 are each repealed.