HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                      Olympia, Washington

Bill Analysis      Bill No. HB 1846

Maintaining voter registration lists                 Public Hrg:  1/14/98

Brief Title                                    

Reps Smith/Koster/Talcott/etc.                            Staff Contact: S. Lundin

Sponsor                                    Comm. on Govt. Admin.

                                           Phone: 786-7127

BACKGROUND:

1.   Maintaining voter registration lists.

Each county auditor keeps a list of registered voters for the county.  Names are removed from voter registration lists as follows:

oEach auditor is required to establish a general maintenance program to remove names from the list using change-of-address information, mailing direct, return if undeliverable, notices to each registered voter, and other methods.  Each voter is either retained on active voter registration lists or placed on an inactive voter list.  A general maintenance program must be completed no later than 90 days prior to a primary or general election for federal office.

oA name on an inactive voter list is canceled if, within two years after being notified of being placed on the inactive voter list, the voter fails to vote, fails to notify the auditor of a change of address, fails to confirm that he or she still lives at the registered address, or fails to sign a petition that includes signatures verified by the auditor.

oDeceased registered voters are removed from voter registration lists using information obtained from newspaper obituaries, signed statements by registered voters that other registered voters are deceased, and comparing names on voter registration lists with the names of persons who have died that are supplied by registrars of vital statistics from the issuance of death certificates.

                                                     Continued

HB 1846 - Page 2

B.   Death certificates.

Death certificates are filed with local registrars of vital statistics.  The health officer of a first class city and the health officer of each county are local registrars of vital statistics.  Each local registrar is required to forward the original death certificate to the state registrar of vital statistics for the state within 30 days after the certificate was registered.

A list of all persons over age 18 who have died is supplied to county auditors monthly.  First class city registrars supply the list directly to county auditors, while the state registrar supplies the lists to county auditors from death certificates forward to the state registrar by county registrars.

SUMMARY:

The procedure is altered by which county auditors are supplied with lists of persons for whom death certificates have been issued.  First class city registrars no longer supply such lists directly to county auditors.  The state registrar supplies a separate list every month to each county auditor of persons residing in the county for whom a death certificate was transferred to the state from first class city registrars or county registrars within the last month.

County auditors are required to periodically perform their general maintenance of voter registration lists.  General maintenance programs must include Athorough@ reviews on or before May 1, 2000.

FISCAL NOTE:  Not requested.

EFFECTIVE DATE:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.