Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research | BILL ANALYSIS |
State Government, Elections & Information Technology Committee |
HB 2527
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
Brief Description: Evaluating random check procedures for ballot counting equipment.
Sponsors: Representatives Hudgins, McBride and Shea.
Brief Summary of Bill |
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Hearing Date: 1/24/18
Staff: Desiree Omli (786-7105).
Background:
There are two types of audits conducted for an election. One type of audit is a random check of the ballot counting equipment used to tabulate ballots. The random check may be conducted at the discretion of the county auditor, or upon mutual agreement of the political party observers. Under the random check process, a manual count of ballots is compared to the machine count. The size of the random check may involve up to either three precincts or six batches. The check must be completed no later than 48 hours after election day. The county canvassing board of each county must established procedures for the random checks.
Summary of Bill:
The Secretary of State (Secretary) must, by November 1, 2018, survey all random check procedures adopted by each county canvassing board. The Secretary must evaluate the procedures to identify best practices and discrepancies. By December 1, 2018, the Secretary is required to submit a report to the Legislature that includes recommendations for adopting best practices and uniform procedures used by county canvassing boards for random checks.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.