Title: An act relating to filing declarations of candidacy.

Brief Description: Allowing more candidates to file with the secretary of state.

Sponsors: House Committee on State Government Operations & Accountability (originally sponsored by Representatives Nixon, Haigh and Shabro).

Brief History: Passed House: 3/04/05, 96-0.

Committee Activity: Government Operations & Elections: 3/28/05, 3/30/05 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS & ELECTIONS

Majority Report: Do pass.Signed by Senators Kastama, Chair; Berkey, Vice Chair; Roach, Ranking Minority Member; Benton, Fairley, Haugen, Kline, McCaslin, Mulliken and Pridemore.

Staff: Mac Nicholson (786-7445)

Background: A candidate for the state Legislature, the court of appeals, or the superior court must file a declaration of candidacy with the Secretary of State when the district in which the candidate is running is composed of voters from more than one county. If the district is composed of voters from only one county, the candidate must file with the county auditor.

Summary of Bill: A candidate for the state Legislature, the court of appeals, or the superior court may file a declaration of candidacy with either the Secretary of State or the county auditor if the district in which the candidate is running is composed of voters from only one county. If the candidate files with the Secretary of State, the filing fee must be sent to the county auditor. For purposes of the rest of the election laws, the candidate is deemed to have filed with the county auditor, even if he or she actually filed with the Secretary of State.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: The Secretary of State allows candidate filing on-line, but counties do not. The bill allows all legislative candidates and judicial candidates, not just ones running in multi-county districts, to file electronically with the Secretary of State. Filing fees collected by the Secretary of State are still distributed back to the counties.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: PRO: Representative Nixon, prime sponsor; Katie Blinn, Office of the Secretary of State.