H-1172.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1477

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

By Representatives Campbell, Pelesky, Smith and Carrell

Read first time 01/26/95.  Referred to Committee on Government Operations.

Speeding up ballot counting.

    AN ACT Relating to processing of incoming ballots; and amending RCW 29.36.060.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 29.36.060 and 1991 c 81 s 32 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The ((opening and subsequent)) processing of ((return envelopes)) ballots for any primary or election may begin on or after the tenth day prior to such primary or election.  The opening of the return and security envelopes and tabulation of absentee ballots, including those to be tabulated on an electronic vote tallying system, shall not commence until after 8:00 o'clock p.m. on the day of the primary or election.

    ((After opening the return envelopes, the county canvassing board shall place all of the ballot envelopes in containers that can be secured with numbered seals.  These sealed containers shall be stored in a secure location until after 8:00 o'clock p.m. of the day of the primary or election.  Absentee ballots that are to be tabulated on an electronic vote tallying system may be taken from the inner envelopes and all the normal procedural steps may be performed to prepare these ballots for tabulation before sealing the containers.))

    The canvassing board shall examine the postmark, statement, and signature on each return envelope containing the security envelope and absentee ballot((.  They)) and shall verify that the voter's signature is the same as that in the registration files for that voter.  For absentee voters other than out-of-state voters, overseas voters, and service voters, if the postmark is illegible, the date on the return envelope to which the voter attests shall determine the validity, as to the time of voting, of that absentee ballot under this chapter.  For any absentee voter, a variation between the signature of the voter on the return envelope and that in the registration files due to the substitution of initials or the use of common nicknames is permitted so long as the surname and handwriting are clearly the same.

After processing, the county canvassing board shall place all return envelopes containing the security envelope and ballot in sealed containers that can be secured with seals having two signatures, one from each party.  These sealed containers shall be stored in a secure location until after eight o'clock p.m. on the day of the primary or election.

The county canvassing board shall open the return envelopes beginning at eight o'clock p.m. the night of the primary or election and shall place all of the return envelopes in a container separate from the security envelopes.  The ballots shall then be separated from the security envelopes, at which time manual or electronic tabulation shall begin.

(2) For the purpose of this section, "processing" means the verification of signatures and grouping, as referred to in RCW 29.36.070, and "tabulation" means the opening of returned and security envelopes and the process of counting ballots by manual means or use of an electronic vote tallying system.

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