SB 5743-S.E - DIGEST

(DIGEST AS ENACTED)

Enhances voter registration recordkeeping.

Provides that, when a person is convicted of a felony, the court shall require the defendant to sign a statement acknowledging that: (1) The defendant's right to vote has been lost due to the felony conviction;

(2) If the defendant is registered to vote, the voter registration will be canceled;

(3) The right to vote may be restored by: (a) A certificate of discharge issued by the sentencing court, as provided in RCW 9.94A.637; (b) a court order issued by the sentencing court restoring the right, as provided in RCW 9.92.066; (c) a final order of discharge issued by the indeterminate sentence review board, as provided in RCW 9.96.050; or (d) a certificate of restoration issued by the governor, as provided in RCW 9.96.020; and

(4) Voting before the right is restored is a class C felony under RCW 29A.84.660.

Provides that 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.

Declares that, for the purposes of this act, "nontraditional address" includes shelters, parks, or other identifiable locations that the voter deems to be his or her residence.

Provides that, if a voter who registered by mail indicates on the voter registration form that he or she does not have a Washington state driver's license, Washington state identification card, or Social Security number, he or she must provide one of the following forms of identification the first time he or she votes after registering: (1) Valid photo identification;

(2) A valid enrollment card of a federally recognized Indian tribe in Washington state;

(3) A copy of a current utility bill;

(4) A current bank statement;

(5) A copy of a current government check;

(6) A copy of a current paycheck; or

(7) A government document that shows both the name and address of the voter.

Provides that, when a felony offender has completed all the requirements of his or her sentence, the county clerk shall immediately transmit this information to the secretary of state along with information about the county where the conviction occurred and the county that is the last known residence of the offender. The secretary of state shall maintain such records as part of the elections data base.

Provides that, if the offender has completed all the requirements of all of his or her sentences for all of his or her felony convictions, the secretary of state shall transmit information about the restoration of the former felon's voting rights to the county auditor where the conviction took place and, if different, the county where the felon was last known to reside.

Provides that a person who knows that he or she does not possess the legal qualifications of a voter and who registers to vote is guilty of a class C felony.

Repeals RCW 29A.08.155 and 29A.08.730.