S-0360.1 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL 5137
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State of Washington 53rd Legislature 1993 Regular Session
By Senators M. Rasmussen, Deccio, Erwin, Moyer, A. Smith, Haugen, Prince, Spanel, McCaslin, Winsley, von Reichbauer and Oke
Read first time 01/14/93. Referred to Committee on Government Operations.
AN ACT Relating to nonpartisan sheriffs; amending RCW 29.18.010, 29.21.010, 29.21.015, and 29.21.070; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 29.18.010 and 1990 c 59 s 78 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, (b) sheriff, except in a county for which the position is declared
to be a partisan office by the county's home rule charter, and (((b)))
(c) those offices where a county home rule charter provides otherwise.
Sec. 2. RCW 29.21.010 and 1990 c 59 s 89 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. Primaries for the office of county sheriff shall be nonpartisan except in a county for which the position is declared to be a partisan office by the county's home rule charter. City, town, county sheriff, and district primaries shall be held as provided in RCW 29.13.070.
The purpose of this section is to establish the holding of a primary, subject to the exemptions in RCW 29.21.015, as a uniform procedural requirement to the holding of city, town, county sheriff, and district elections. These provisions supersede any and all other statutes, whether general or special in nature, having different election requirements.
Sec. 3. RCW 29.21.015 and 1990 c 59 s 90 are each amended to read as follows:
No primary may be held for any single position in any city, town, or district or for the nonpartisan position of county sheriff, as required by RCW 29.21.010, if, after the last day allowed for candidates to withdraw, there are no more than two candidates filed for the position. The county auditor shall, as soon as possible, notify all the candidates so affected that the office for which they filed will not appear on the primary ballot. Names of candidates so notified shall be printed upon the general election ballot in the manner specified by RCW 29.30.025.
Sec. 4. RCW 29.21.070 and 1990 c 59 s 91 are each amended to read as follows:
The offices of superintendent of public instruction, justice of the supreme court, judge of the court of appeals, judge of the superior court, and judge of the district court shall be nonpartisan and the candidates therefor shall be nominated and elected as such. Except in a county for which the position of sheriff is declared to be a partisan office by the county's home rule charter, the office of county sheriff shall be nonpartisan and the candidates therefor shall be nominated and elected as such.
All city, town, and special purpose district elective offices shall be nonpartisan and the candidates therefor shall be nominated and elected as such.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. This act shall take effect on July 1, 1994.
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