BILL REQ. #: S-1715.2

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SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5326
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State of Washington

59th Legislature

2005 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Government Operations & Elections (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl-Welles, Pridemore, Esser, Kline, Weinstein, Poulsen, Finkbeiner, McAuliffe, Keiser and Spanel)

READ FIRST TIME 03/01/05.

AN ACT Relating to providing home rule charter cities the ability to choose their election system; and amending RCW 29A.52.210.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 29A.52.210 and 2003 c 111 s 1305 are each amended to read as follows:
     All city and town primaries shall be nonpartisan. Primaries for special purpose districts, except those districts that require ownership of property within the district as a prerequisite to voting, shall be nonpartisan. City, town, and district primaries shall be held as provided in RCW ((~~29A.04.310~~)) 29A.04.311, except where the charter of a first class city provides for a ranked voting system, in which case a primary election is not necessary.
     The purpose of this section is to establish the holding of a primary, subject to the exemptions in RCW 29A.52.220, as a uniform procedural requirement to the holding of city, town, and district elections, except where the charter of a first class city provides for a ranked voting system. These provisions supersede any and all other statutes, whether general or special in nature, having different election requirements.
     If a first class city provides for a ranked voting system in its charter, the secretary of state shall assist the county auditor with implementation of the ranked voting system.

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