FINAL BILL REPORT
SHB 124
C 110 L 87
BYHouse Committee on Constitution, Elections & Ethics (originally sponsored by Representatives Cole, Armstrong, Fisher, Crane, Leonard, Betrozoff, Pruitt, Fisch, Rust, Miller and P. King)
Standardizing ballot order rotation of all candidates.
House Committe on Constitution, Elections & Ethics
Senate Committee on Governmental Operations
SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED
BACKGROUND:
In 1986, legislation was enacted which established a procedure for determining by lot the order in which the names of candidates for partisan office, for the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and for most judicial offices would appear on sample and absentee ballots in primaries. The names of candidates for the office of district court judge were expressly excluded from the procedure. The legislation also referred to provisions of state law requiring the rotation of the order of the names of candidates for judicial offices on the ballots appearing at polling places in primaries. The names of candidates for the office of district court judge were also excluded from those references.
In a 1978 opinion, the state's attorney general indicated that many of the laws specifying the placement of names of candidates for judicial and other nonpartisan offices on ballots do not apply to the office of district court judge.
SUMMARY:
The names of candidates for district court judge must be rotated in each precinct in primaries in the manner specified by law for other judicial offices. The order of those names on sample ballots and on absentee ballots in primaries must be determined by lot. On the general election ballot and on absentee and sample ballots for the general election, the name of the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes for the position at the primary will be listed first followed by the name of the candidate who receives the next greatest number of votes.
VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:
House 93 0
Senate 44 0
EFFECTIVE:July 26, 1987