2332 AMS .... S4814.1

2332 AMS .... S4814.1

HB 2332 - S AMD 815

By Senators Keiser and Gardner

ADOPTED 03/08/02

Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature recognizes that national task forces studying election issues have identified statewide voter registration systems as important tools for protecting the integrity of elections, and it is likely that federal funds will be made available for states that employ statewide voter registration systems. Therefore, the legislature finds a need for the state of Washington to begin the process of creating such a system.

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

(1) The office of the secretary of state shall work in conjunction with the county auditors of the state of Washington to initiate the creation of a statewide voter registration data base. The secretary of state shall identify a group of voter registration experts whose responsibility will be to work on a design for the voter registration data base system. The secretary of state shall report back the findings of this group to the legislature no later than February 1, 2003.

(2) Among the intended goals the voter registration data base must be designed to accomplish at a minimum, are the following:

(a) Identify duplicate voter registrations;

(b) Identify suspected duplicate voters;

(d) Provide up-to-date signatures of voters for the purposes of initiative signature checking;

(e) Provide for a comparison between the voter registration data base and the department of licensing change of address data base;

(f) Provide online access for county auditors with the goal of real time duplicate checking and update capabilities, if sufficient funds are available;

(g) Provide for the cancellation of voter registration for persons who have moved to other states and surrendered their Washington state drivers' licenses;

(h) Ensure that each county shall maintain legal control of the registration records for that county.

Sec. 3. RCW 29.07.025 and 1994 c 57 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Each state agency designated under RCW 29.07.420 shall provide voter registration services for employees and the public within each office of that agency.

(2) The secretary of state shall design and provide a standard notice informing the public of the availability of voter registration, which notice shall be posted in each state agency where such services are available.

(3) The secretary of state shall design and provide standard voter registration forms for use by these state agencies.

(4) Each institution of higher education shall put in place an active prompt on its course registration web site, or similar web site that students actively and regularly use, that, if selected, will link the student to the secretary of state's voter registration web site. The prompt must ask the student if he or she wishes to register to vote.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Sections 1 and 2 of this act are necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and take effect May 1, 2002.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Sections 1 and 2 of this act expire January 1, 2005."

HB 2332 - S AMD 815

By Senators Keiser and Gardner

ADOPTED 03/08/02

In line 1 of the title, after "base;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 29.07.025; adding a new section to chapter 29.04 RCW; creating a new section; providing an effective date; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency."