| Passed by the Senate March 3, 2009 YEAS 48 ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House April 7, 2009 YEAS 97 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SENATE BILL 5017 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Secretary | |
| Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
| State of Washington | 61st Legislature | 2009 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/12/09. Referred to Committee on Government Operations & Elections.
AN ACT Relating to inactive voters; and amending RCW 29A.48.010.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 29A.48.010 and 2005 c 241 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) With express authorization from the county legislative
authority, the county auditor may conduct all primary, special, and
general elections entirely by mail ballot. The county legislative
authority must give the county auditor at least ninety days' notice
before the first election to be conducted entirely by mail ballot. If
the county legislative authority and the county auditor decide to
return to a polling place election environment, the county legislative
authority must give the county auditor at least one hundred eighty
days' notice before the first election to be conducted using polling
places. Authorization under this subsection must apply to all primary,
special, and general elections conducted by the county auditor.
(2) The county auditor may designate any precinct having fewer than
two hundred active registered voters at the time of closing of voter
registration as provided in RCW 29A.08.140 as a mail ballot precinct.
Authorization from the county legislative authority is not required to
designate a precinct as a mail ballot precinct under this subsection.
In determining the number of registered voters in a precinct for the
purposes of this section, persons who are ongoing absentee voters under
RCW 29A.40.040 shall not be counted. Nothing in this section may be
construed as altering the vote tallying requirements of RCW 29A.60.230.
(3) The county auditor shall notify each registered voter by mail
that for all future primaries and elections the voting will be by mail
ballot only. The auditor shall mail each active voter a ballot at
least eighteen days before a primary, general election, or special
election. ((The auditor shall send each inactive voter either a ballot
or an application to receive a ballot at least eighteen days before a
primary, general election, or special election. The auditor shall
determine which of the two is to be sent. If the inactive voter
returns a voted ballot, the ballot shall be counted and the voter's
status restored to active. If the inactive voter completes and returns
an application, a ballot shall be sent and the voter's status restored
to active.)) The requirements regarding certification, reporting, and
the mailing of overseas and military ballots in RCW 29A.40.070 apply to
elections conducted by mail ballot.
(4) If the county legislative authority and county auditor
determine under subsection (1) of this section, or if the county
auditor determines under subsection (2) of this section, to return to
a polling place election environment, the auditor shall notify each
registered voter, by mail, of this and shall provide the address of the
polling place to be used.