BILL REQ. #:  S-3691.2 

Read first time 01/11/2006.   Referred to Committee on Government Operations & Elections.

     AN ACT Relating to voter registration; amending RCW 29A.08.010, 29A.08.112, 29A.08.810, 29A.08.820, 29A.08.830, 29A.08.840, and 29A.40.140; and adding a new section to chapter 29A.08 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 29A.08 RCW to read as follows:
     Any major political party may file with the county auditor the name, address, and contact phone number of a party representative authorized by the party to receive notice of voter challenges. The county auditor shall provide the contact information of all such party representatives upon request to a registered voter challenging the registration of another voter. Any registered voter challenging the registration of another voter must, within twenty-four hours of filing the challenge, provide notice of the challenge to every political party who has filed with the county auditor under this section by mailing a copy of the challenge to every designated party representative in the county where the challenge is filed.

Sec. 2   RCW 29A.08.010 and 2005 c 246 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     As used in this chapter: "Information required for voter registration" means the minimum information provided on a voter registration application that is required by the county auditor in order to place a voter registration applicant on the voter registration rolls. This information includes:
     (1) Name;
     (2) Residential address;
     (3) Mailing address, if different from the residential address;
     (4) Date of birth;
     (((4))) (5) Washington state driver's license number or Washington state identification card number, or the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number if the applicant does not have a Washington state driver's license or Washington state identification card;
     (((5))) (6) A signature attesting to the truth of the information provided on the application; and
     (((6))) (7) A check or indication in the box confirming the individual is a United States citizen.
     If the individual does not have a driver's license, state identification card, or Social Security number, the registrant must be issued a unique voter registration number in order to be placed on the voter registration rolls. All other information supplied is ancillary and not to be used as grounds for not registering an applicant to vote. Modification of the language of the official Washington state voter registration form by the voter will not be accepted and will cause the rejection of the registrant's application.

Sec. 3   RCW 29A.08.112 and 2005 c 246 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
     No person registering to vote, who meets all the qualifications of a registered voter in the state of Washington, shall be disqualified because ((of a nontraditional address being used as a residence address. Voters using such an)) he or she lacks a traditional residential address. A voter who lacks a traditional residential address will be registered and assigned to a precinct based on the location provided((. Voters without a traditional address will be registered at the)), and has the option of using the address of a county courthouse, city hall, or other public building near the area that the voter considers his or her residence. ((Registering at a nontraditional address will not disqualify a voter from requesting ongoing absentee voter status if the voter designates a valid mailing address.
     For the purposes of this section, "nontraditional address" includes shelters, parks, or other identifiable locations that the voter deems to be his or her residence.)) A voter who registers under this section must provide a valid mailing address, and must still meet the requirement in Article VI, section 1 of the state Constitution that he or she live in the area for at least thirty days before the election.
     A person who has a traditional residential address must use that address for voter registration purposes and is not eligible to register under this section.

Sec. 4   RCW 29A.08.810 and 2003 c 111 s 253 are each amended to read as follows:
     Registration of a person as a voter is presumptive evidence of his or her right to vote at any primary or election, general or special. A person's right to vote may be challenged at the polls only by a precinct judge or inspector. A challenge may be made only upon the belief or knowledge of the challenging officer that the voter is unqualified. The challenge must be supported by evidence or testimony given to the county canvassing board under RCW 29A.08.820 and may not be based on unsupported allegations or allegations by anonymous third parties. The identity of the challenger, and any third person involved in the challenge, shall be public record and shall be announced at the time the challenge is made.
     Challenges initiated by a registered voter against a voter who registered to vote less than sixty days before the election, or who changed residence less than sixty days before the election without transferring his or her registration, must be filed not later than ((the)) ten days before any primary or election, general or special, at the office of the appropriate county auditor. Challenges initiated by a registered voter against any other voter must be filed not later than forty-five days before the election. A challenged voter may properly transfer or reregister until ((three days)) the day before the primary or election, general or special, by applying personally to the county auditor. Challenges may also be initiated by the office of the county prosecuting attorney and must be filed in the same manner as challenges initiated by a registered voter.

Sec. 5   RCW 29A.08.820 and 2003 c 111 s 254 are each amended to read as follows:
     When the right of a person has been challenged under RCW 29A.08.810 or 29A.08.830(2), the challenged person shall be permitted to vote a ballot which shall be placed in a sealed envelope separate from other voted ballots. In precincts where voting machines are used, any person whose right to vote is challenged under RCW 29A.08.810 or 29A.08.830(2) shall be furnished a paper ballot, which shall be placed in a sealed envelope after being marked. Included with the challenged ballot shall be (1) an affidavit filed under RCW 29A.08.830 challenging the person's right to vote or (2) an affidavit signed by the precinct election officer and any third party involved in the officer's challenge and stating the reasons the voter is being challenged. The sealed ballots of challenged voters shall be transmitted at the close of the election to the canvassing board or other authority charged by law with canvassing the returns of the particular primary or election. The county auditor shall notify the challenger and the challenged voter, by certified mail, of the time and place at which the county canvassing board will meet to rule on challenged ballots. If the challenge is made by a precinct election officer under RCW 29A.08.810, the officer must appear in person before the board unless he or she has received written authorization from the canvassing board to submit an affidavit supporting the challenge. If the challenging officer has based his or her challenge upon evidence provided by a third party, that third party must appear with the challenging officer before the canvassing board, unless he or she has received written authorization from the canvassing board to submit an affidavit supporting the challenge. If the challenge is filed under RCW 29A.08.830, the challenger must either appear in person before the board or submit an affidavit supporting the challenge. The challenging party must prove to the canvassing board by clear and convincing evidence that the challenged voter's registration is improper. If the challenging party fails to meet this burden, the challenged ballot shall be accepted as valid and counted. The canvassing board shall give the challenged voter and any major political party that objects to the challenge the opportunity to present testimony, either in person or by affidavit, and evidence to the canvassing board before making their determination. All challenged ballots must be determined no later than the time of canvassing for the particular primary or election. If the challenge is based on one of the following allegations and the canvassing board sustains the challenge, the challenged ballot shall not be counted: The voter has been convicted of a felony and the voter's civil rights have not been restored; the voter has been judicially declared ineligible to vote due to mental incompetency; the voter will not be eighteen years of age or older by the election; or the voter is not a citizen of the United States. If the challenge is based on an allegation that the voter does not actually reside at the address given on the voter's registration record and the canvassing board sustains the challenge, the board shall permit the voter to correct his or her voter registration and any races and ballot measures on the challenged ballot that the voter would have been qualified to vote for had the registration been correct shall be counted. The decision of the canvassing board or other authority charged by law with canvassing the returns shall be final. Party observer challenges of absentee ((ballots)) voters shall be determined according to RCW 29A.40.140.

Sec. 6   RCW 29A.08.830 and 2003 c 111 s 255 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Any registered voter may request that the registration of another voter be canceled if he or she believes that the voter does not meet the requirements of Article VI, section 1 of the state Constitution or that voter no longer maintains a legal voting residence at the address shown on his or her registration record. The challenger shall file with the county auditor a signed affidavit subject to the penalties of perjury, to the effect that to his or her personal knowledge and belief another registered voter does not actually reside at the address as given on his or her registration record or is otherwise not a qualified voter and that the voter in question is not protected by the provisions of Article VI, section 4, of the Constitution of the state of Washington. ((The person filing the challenge must furnish)) If the challenge is based on an allegation that the voter does not reside at the address as given on the voter's registration record, the affidavit must include the address at which the challenged voter actually resides.
     (2) Any such challenge of a voter's registration and right to vote made less than ((thirty)) forty-five days before a primary or election, special or general, shall be administered under RCW 29A.08.820. The county auditor shall notify the challenged voter and the precinct election officers in the voter's precinct that a challenge has been filed, provide the name of the challenger, and instruct both the precinct election officers and the voter that, in the event the challenged voter desires to vote at the ensuing primary or election, a challenged ballot will be provided. The county auditor shall at the same time provide to the challenged voter the names, addresses, and contact phone numbers, if provided, of all political party representatives that have been designated under section 1 of this act. The county auditor shall also provide to each party representative a copy of all materials provided to the challenged voter. The voter shall also be informed that the status of his or her registration and the disposition of any challenged ballot will be determined by the county canvassing board in the manner provided by RCW 29A.08.820. If the challenged voter does not vote at the ensuing primary or election, the challenge shall be processed in the same manner as challenges made more than thirty days prior to the primary or election under RCW 29A.08.840.

Sec. 7   RCW 29A.08.840 and 2003 c 111 s 256 are each amended to read as follows:
     All challenges of voter registration under RCW 29A.08.830 made ((thirty)) forty-five days or more before a primary or election, general or special, shall be delivered to the appropriate county auditor who shall notify the challenged voter, by certified mail, that his or her voter registration has been challenged. The county auditor shall at the same time provide to the challenged voter the names, addresses, and contact phone numbers, if provided, of all political party representatives that have been designated under section 1 of this act. The county auditor shall also provide to each party representative a copy of all materials provided to the challenged voter.
     The notification shall be mailed to the address at which the challenged voter is registered, any address provided by the challenger under RCW 29A.08.830, and to any other address at which the individual whose registration is being challenged is alleged to reside or at which the county auditor would reasonably expect that individual to receive notice of the challenge of his or her voter registration. Included in the notification shall be a request that the challenged voter appear at a hearing to be held within ten days of the mailing of the request, at the place, day, and hour stated, in order to determine the validity of his or her registration. The challenger shall be provided with a copy of this notification and request. If either the challenger or the challenged voter is unable to appear in person, he or she may file a reply by means of an affidavit stating under oath the reasons he or she believes the registration to be invalid or valid.
     If both the challenger and the challenged voter file affidavits instead of appearing in person, an evaluation of the affidavits by the county auditor constitutes a hearing for the purposes of this section.
     The county auditor shall hold a hearing at which time both parties may present their facts and arguments. After reviewing the facts and arguments, including any evidence submitted by either side or the representative of any political party that objects to the challenge, the county auditor shall rule as to the validity or invalidity of the challenged registration. His or her ruling is final subject only to a petition for judicial review by the superior court under chapter 34.05 RCW. If either party, or both parties, fail to appear at the meeting or fail to file an affidavit, the county auditor shall determine the status of the registration based on his or her evaluation of the available facts.

Sec. 8   RCW 29A.40.140 and 2003 c 111 s 1014 are each amended to read as follows:
     A party observer may challenge the qualifications of any absentee voter ((may be challenged)) who registers to vote less than sixty days before the election, or who changed residence less than sixty days before the election without transferring his or her registration, at the time the signature on the return envelope is verified and the ballot is processed by the canvassing board. The board has the authority to determine the legality of any absentee ballot challenged under this section. Challenged ballots must be handled in accordance with chapter 29A.08 RCW.