BILL REQ. #:  H-0410.1 

Read first time 01/17/2005.   Referred to Committee on State Government Operations & Accountability.

     AN ACT Relating to filing declarations of candidacy; and amending RCW 29A.24.070.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 29A.24.070 and 2003 c 111 s 607 are each amended to read as follows:
     Declarations of candidacy shall be filed with the following filing officers:
     (1) The secretary of state for declarations of candidacy for statewide offices, United States senate, and United States house of representatives;
     (2) The secretary of state for declarations of candidacy for the state legislature, the court of appeals, and the superior court when ((voters from)) the candidate is seeking office in a district ((comprising more than one county vote upon the candidates)) comprised of voters from two or more counties. The secretary of state and the county auditor may accept declarations of candidacy for candidates for the state legislature, the court of appeals, and the superior court when the candidate is seeking office in a district comprised of voters from one county;
     (3) The county auditor for all other offices. For any nonpartisan office, other than judicial offices and school director in joint districts, where voters from a district comprising more than one county vote upon the candidates, a declaration of candidacy shall be filed with the county auditor of the county in which a majority of the registered voters of the district reside. For school directors in joint school districts, the declaration of candidacy shall be filed with the county auditor of the county designated by the state board of education as the county to which the joint school district is considered as belonging under RCW 28A.323.040.
     Each official with whom declarations of candidacy are filed under this section, within one business day following the closing of the applicable filing period, shall transmit to the public disclosure commission the information required in RCW ((29A.24.030)) 29A.24.031 (1) through (4) for each declaration of candidacy filed in his or her office during such filing period or a list containing the name of each candidate who files such a declaration in his or her office during such filing period together with a precise identification of the position sought by each such candidate and the date on which each such declaration was filed. Such official, within three days following his or her receipt of any letter withdrawing a person's name as a candidate, shall also forward a copy of such withdrawal letter to the public disclosure commission.