SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5481
AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS,
FEBRUARY 18, 1993
Brief Description: Cancelling voter registration of felons.
SPONSORS: Senators Roach, Quigley, Hargrove, Amondson, L. Smith, McCaslin and Oke
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5481 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.
Signed by Senators Haugen, Chairman; Drew, Vice Chairman; Loveland, Oke, von Reichbauer, and Winsley.
Staff: Rod McAulay (786‑7754)
Hearing Dates: February 17, 1993; February 18, 1993
BACKGROUND:
Article 6, Section 3 of the State Constitution provides that: "All persons convicted of infamous crime unless restored to their civil rights . . . are excluded from the elective franchise." The election code defines "infamous crime" as a crime punishable by death in the state penitentiary or imprisonment in a state correctional facility. An applicant to register to vote must make a sworn statement that he or she is not presently denied his or her civil rights as a result of being convicted of an infamous crime.
There is no established mechanism to notify county auditors when a registered voter is convicted of an infamous crime so that they might strike them from the rolls.
SUMMARY:
Within 14 days of the entry of a judgment of conviction of an individual for an infamous crime, the clerk of the court shall send a notice of the conviction to the county auditor in the county of the convict's residence. The auditor shall strike the name of the convict from the voter registration roll.
EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:
A spelling error is corrected.
Appropriation: none
Revenue: none
Fiscal Note: none requested
TESTIMONY FOR:
This bill assures compliance with the Constitution. There is no mechanism in place to notify auditors when a person is convicted of a disqualifying crime.
TESTIMONY AGAINST: None
TESTIFIED: Senator Roach, prime sponsor; Jeff Helston, Pierce County attorney