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SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 773
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AS AMENDED BY THE FREE CONFERENCE CMMITTEE
C 359 L 87
State of Washington 50th Legislature 1987 Regular Session
By House Committee on Constitution, Elections & Ethics (originally sponsored by Representatives Holm, Nealey, Haugen, Barnes, Holland, Dellwo, Jesernig, P. King, Winsley and Betrozoff)
Read first time 3/6/87 and passed to Committee on Rules.
AN ACT Relating to voter registration; and adding new sections to chapter 29.10 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 29.10 RCW to read as follows:
(1) Whenever any vote-by-mail ballot, notification to voters following reprecincting of the county, notification to voters of selection to serve on jury duty, or initial voter identification card is returned by the postal service as undeliverable, the county auditor shall, in every instance, inquire into the validity of the registration of that voter.
(2) The county auditor shall initiate his or her inquiry by sending, by first-class mail, a written notice to the challenged voter at the address indicated on the voter's permanent registration record. The county auditor shall not request any restriction on the forwarding of such notice by the postal service. The notice shall contain the nature of the inquiry and provide a suitable form for reply. The notice shall also contain a warning that the county auditor must receive a response within sixty days from the date of mailing or the individual's voter registration will be canceled.
(3) The voter, in person or in writing, may state that the information on the permanent voter registration record is correct or may request a change in the information on the permanent registration record no later than the sixtieth day after the date of mailing the inquiry.
(4) Upon the timely receipt of a response signed by the voter, the county auditor shall consider the inquiry satisfied and will make the corrections requested by the voter on the permanent registration record. The county auditor shall cancel the registration of a voter who fails to respond to the notice of inquiry within sixty days after the date of mailing.
(5) The county auditor shall notify the voter whose registration has been canceled by mail as prescribed in RCW 29.10.080. A voter may respond no later than the forty-fifth day after the date of mailing of the notice of cancellation. Upon receipt of the voter response, the auditor shall reinstate the voter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 29.10 RCW to read as follows:
Any voter whose registration has been canceled under section 1 of this act and who, within a period of four years following the date of the cancellation, either applies for an absentee ballot or presents himself or herself at the polling place and offers to vote shall be permitted to vote a challenged ballot. The ballot shall be separated from other ballots and the final disposition of the challenge shall be determined by the county canvassing board in accordance with RCW 29.10.127. The voter shall be permitted to appear in person before the canvassing board and present testimony and evidence supporting his or her right to vote. If the canvassing board determines that the voter's registration was improperly canceled, the ballot shall be counted and the voter's registration shall be reinstated.