BILL REQ. #:  H-2052.4 

READ FIRST TIME 02/20/07.   

     AN ACT Relating to voter registration at state agencies; amending RCW 29A.08.310 and 29A.08.330; and adding new sections 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:
     The legislature finds that one of the most fundamental rights is the right to vote, and it is the primary duty of government to actively encourage voter registration and to make this opportunity widely available to eligible citizens. It is the intent of the legislature that all state agencies and their vendors, contractors, and partners shall consider ways to increase and improve voter registration services so that, of its eligible population, Washington has the highest percentage of registered voters.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 29A.08 RCW to read as follows:
     A person may register to vote, transfer a voter registration, or change his or her name for voter registration purposes when he or she applies in person for public assistance, disability services, or makes an in-person report of an address change at an employment security department facility or the department of social and health services. Voter registration procedures at these agencies shall be pursuant to RCW 29A.08.330.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 29A.08 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) State agencies providing voter registration services, whether designated by the governor or required by statute, shall keep records reflecting the number of persons who:
     (a) Request, apply for, or receive a service from those agencies, including reporting a change of address;
     (b) Register to vote, transfer a voter registration, or decline to either register to vote or transfer a voter registration;
     (c) Request a voter registration application but do not return it to the agency staff.
     (2) The secretary of state shall produce an annual report, with appropriate performance measures, from this data on a county by county basis. The data should be reported in aggregate terms and not with reference to individual voters. The report must:
     (a) Show the number of registered voters as a reflection of the number of eligible voting population in each county;
     (b) Identify the chief challenges in increasing voter registration; and
     (c) Recommend action for increasing the percentage of registered voters.

Sec. 4   RCW 29A.08.310 and 2003 c 111 s 222 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The governor, in consultation with the secretary of state, shall designate agencies to provide voter registration services in compliance with federal statutes. New agencies, vendors, or contractors, shall be added as appropriate on a biennial basis.
     (2) Each state agency designated shall provide voter registration services for employees and the public within each office of that agency.
     (3) The secretary of state shall design and provide a standard notice informing the public of the availability of voter registration, which notice shall be posted in each state agency where such services are available.
     (4) The secretary of state shall post on its web site the list of state agencies that provide voter registration services and shall update this list as new agencies are added.
     (5) The secretary of state shall design and provide standard voter registration forms for use by these state agencies.
     (((5))) (6) Each ((institution of higher education shall put in place an active prompt on its course registration web site, or similar web site that students actively and regularly use, that, if selected, will link the student)) state agency shall place a link on its web site to the secretary of state's voter registration web site. ((The prompt must ask the student if he or she wishes to register to vote.))

Sec. 5   RCW 29A.08.330 and 2005 c 246 s 14 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The secretary of state shall prescribe the method of voter registration for each designated agency. The agency shall use either the state voter registration by mail form with a separate declination form for the applicant to indicate that he or she declines to register at this time, or the agency may use a separate form approved for use by the secretary of state.
     (2) The person providing service at the agency shall offer voter registration services to every client whenever he or she applies for service or assistance and with each renewal, recertification, or change of address. The person providing service shall give the applicant the same level of assistance with the voter registration application as is offered to fill out the agency's forms and documents, including information about age and citizenship requirements for voter registration. The person providing service at the agency shall not make any statement that would discourage the applicant from registering to vote, or lead the applicant to believe that a decision to register or not to register has any bearing on the eligibility or the availability of the public service or assistance.
     (3) The person providing service at the agency shall determine if the prospective applicant wants to register to vote or transfer his or her voter registration by asking the following question:

     "Do you want to register to vote or transfer your voter registration?"

     If the applicant chooses to register or transfer a registration, the service agent shall ask the following:

     (a) "Are you a United States citizen?"
     (b) "Are you or will you be eighteen years of age on or before the next election?"

     If the applicant answers in the affirmative to both questions, the agent shall then provide the applicant with a voter registration form and instructions and shall record that the applicant has requested to register to vote or transfer a voter registration. If the applicant answers in the negative to either question, the agent shall not provide the applicant with a voter registration form.
     (4) If an agency uses a computerized application process, it may, in consultation with the secretary of state, develop methods to capture simultaneously the information required for voter registration during a person's computerized application process.
     (5) Each designated agency shall provide for the voter registration application forms to be collected from each agency office at least once each week. The agency shall then forward the application forms to the secretary of state each week. The secretary of state shall forward the forms to the county in which the applicant has registered to vote no later than ten days after the date on which the forms were received by the secretary of state.