Z-1171.2  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6324

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State of Washington   57th Legislature        2002 Regular Session

By Senators Gardner, Horn, T. Sheldon, Roach, McCaslin, Winsley and Hale; by request of Secretary of State

Read first time 01/15/2002.  Referred to Committee on State & Local Government.

Directing a statewide voter registration data base.

    AN ACT Relating to a statewide voter registration data base; 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.

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

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;

    (c) Screen against the department of corrections data base to aid in the cancellation of voter registration of felons;

    (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.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect May 1, 2002.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  This act expires January 1, 2005.

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