S-0521.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5746

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

By Senators Cantu and C. Anderson

Read first time 02/03/95.  Referred to Committee on Government Operations.

Requiring voting precinct boundaries to be redrawn to conform to state law.

    AN ACT Relating to voting precinct boundaries; amending RCW 29.04.050; and adding a new section to chapter 29.04 RCW.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 29.04.050 and 1989 c 278 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) Every voting precinct must be wholly within a single congressional district, a single legislative district, and a single district of a county legislative authority.

    (2) Every voting precinct shall be composed, as nearly as practicable, of contiguous and compact areas.

    (3) Except as provided in this subsection, changes to the boundaries of any precinct shall follow visible, physical features delineated on the most current maps provided by the United States census bureau.  A change need not follow such visible, physical features if (((a))) it is necessitated by an annexation or incorporation and the proposed precinct boundary is identical to an exterior boundary of the annexed or incorporated area which does not follow a visible, physical feature((; or (b) doing so would substantially impair election administration in the involved area)).

    (4) After a change to precinct boundaries is adopted by the county legislative authority, the county auditor shall send to the secretary of state a copy of the legal description and a map or maps of the changes and, if all or part of the changes do not follow visible, physical features, a statement of the applicable exception under subsection (3) of this section.  ((For boundary changes made pursuant to subsection (3)(b) of this section, the auditor shall include a statement of the reasons why following visible, physical features would have substantially impaired election administration.))

    (5) Every voting precinct within each county shall be designated consecutively by number for the purpose of preparation of maps and the tabulation of population for apportionment purposes.  These precincts may be identified with names or other numbers for other election purposes.

    (6) After a change to precinct boundaries in a city or town, the county auditor shall send one copy of the map or maps delineating the new precinct boundaries within that city or town to the city or town clerk.

    (7) Precinct maps are public records and shall be available for inspection by the public during normal office hours in the offices where they are kept.  Copies shall be made available to the public for a fee necessary to cover the cost of reproduction.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 29.04 RCW to read as follows:

    The county legislative authority of every county shall redraw the boundaries of every precinct not conforming to the standards of RCW 29.04.050 (1), (2), and (3) by June 1, 1996.

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