H-4113              _______________________________________________

                                           HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 4033

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives Jones, Vekich, Fisher, Schmidt, Baugher, Unsoeld, Prince, Walk, Walker, Lux, Hine, Crane, S. Wilson, Hargrove, Anderson, Leonard, Pruitt, Brough, Basich, Dorn, Day, Haugen, Sayan, Winsley, Cooper, Belcher, Nelson, May, Miller, Butterfield, Ferguson, Spanel and Nealey

Read first time 1/22/88 and referred to Committee on Constitution, Elections & Ethics.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, News broadcasting organizations are, with increasing frequency, projecting the winner of presidential elections prior to the closing of all polling places in the United States; and

          WHEREAS, This practice causes many potential voters in Washington and other western states to learn of the projected winner in presidential elections prior to the closing of polling places in the western states; and

          WHEREAS, The news broadcast of the projected presidential winner may cause voters in Washington and other western states to believe that their vote does not count; and

          WHEREAS, The resulting decrease in voter turnout detracts from the democratic character of elections, and may inadvertently and unfairly affect the outcome of state and local elections; and

          WHEREAS, The projection of the winner of presidential elections before the closing of all polling places is caused by the lack of a uniform closing time for polling places in the United States, and also by the refusal of some news broadcasting organizations to refrain from projecting an election winner until after the closing of all polling places for that election;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that Congress enact legislation, similar to H.R. 435 currently before Congress, which would establish for presidential elections a uniform closing time for all polling places in the Continental United States, in conjunction with a pledge from news broadcasting organizations to not project election results until after such a closing time.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.