BILL REQ. #:  S-0284.1 

Read first time 01/15/2003.   Referred to Committee on Government Operations & Elections.

     AN ACT Relating to establishing a procedure for the election of county commissioners by district; amending RCW 36.32.050; and adding a new section to chapter 36.32 RCW.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 36.32.050 and 1963 c 4 s 36.32.050 are each amended to read as follows:
     County commissioners shall be elected by:
     (1) The qualified voters of the county ((and)); or
     (2) The qualified voters of the commissioner district, pursuant to section 2 of this act.
     The person receiving the highest number of votes for the office of commissioner for the district in which he or she resides shall be declared duly elected from that district.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 36.32 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The board of commissioners of any noncharter county may cause a ballot proposition to be submitted at a general election to the voters of the county authorizing the board of commissioners to be elected by district.
     (2) As an alternative procedure, a ballot proposition shall be submitted to the voters of a noncharter county authorizing the board of commissioners to be elected by district, upon petition of the county voters equal to at least ten percent of the voters voting at the last county general election. At least twenty percent of the signatures on the petition must come from each of the existing commissioner districts.
     Any petition requesting that such an election be held must be submitted to the county auditor for verification of the signatures thereon. Within no more than thirty days after the submission of the petition, the auditor shall determine if the petition contains the requisite number of valid signatures. The auditor shall certify whether or not the petition has been signed by the requisite number of county voters and forward such petition to the board of county commissioners. If the petition has been signed by the requisite number of county voters, the board of county commissioners shall submit such a proposition to the voters for their approval or rejection at the next general election held at least sixty days after the proposition has been certified by the auditor.