HOUSE BILL REPORT

ESHB 1666

BYHouse Committee on State Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Anderson, Hankins, R. Fisher, Jacobsen, R. King, Bristow, Silver, Rector, McLean, O'Brien, Prentice, Wineberry, Todd, Morris, Sayan, Beck, Wang, Ferguson, Van Luven, P. King, Nutley, Pruitt, Winsley, Youngsman and Nelson; by request of Secretary of State)

Establishing voter registration along with driver licensing.

House Committe on State Government

Majority Report:  The second substitute bill be substituted therefor and the second substitute bill do pass.  (8)

      Signed by Representatives Todd, Chair; Anderson, Vice Chair; McLean, Ranking Republican Member; R. Fisher, Hankins, R. King, Morris and O'Brien.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  (1)

      Signed by Representative Silver.

House Staff:Kenneth Hirst (786-7105)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT JANUARY 31, 1990

BACKGROUND:

A person desiring to register to vote must apply before a registrar.  The registrar must interrogate the applicant regarding the applicant's qualifications as an elector and must record the registration information.  The applicant must then sign an oath of registration.  A person who knowingly gives false information for the application or who knowingly makes false declarations regarding his or her qualifications in the oath is guilty of a class C felony.

The Election Code requires the Secretary of State to design a uniform registration form and to furnish the forms to the county auditors without cost.

SUMMARY:

SECOND SUBSTITUTE BILL:  Registration with Licensing.  Before issuing a driver's license or identicard, a licensing agent of the Department of Licensing must determine whether the applicant for the license or card wants to register to vote or to transfer his or her voter registration.  If the applicant so chooses, the applicant may register or transfer a registration and the agent must provide the applicant with a registration form and instructions and record the request. The application form must contain certain specified information and any other information the Secretary of State determines is necessary to establish the identity of the applicant and to prevent duplicate or fraudulent registrations.  The form must also contain a warning identifying the penalty, prescribed by current law, for providing false information or making a false declaration regarding that information.  The applicant must sign the registration oath and sign a portion of the form that can be used as an initiative signature card for verifying petition signatures.

Processing.  Completed forms are to be forwarded from each licensing facility at least once each week.  They must be forwarded to the appropriate county auditors not later than 10 days after being collected.  The Department of Licensing must produce and transmit to the Secretary of State certain registration information in a machine- readable form.  The secretary must sort the information by county and must deliver it, along with a list of registration transactions, to the appropriate county auditors.

Registration in General.   A provision of law is repealed which requires the county auditor to record certain identifying code numbers and precinct information on the registration record.  The form and format of the various registration and machine-readable records must be specified by the secretary by rule.

Supplies and Agreements; Costs.  The Secretary of State must produce and distribute the instructional material and other supplies needed to implement the program for combining applications for drivers' licenses and voter registration.  The secretary must also adopt rules to insure the integrity of the voter registration process and enter into agreements governing the services provided by the county auditors and the Department of Licensing in carrying out this form of voter registration.  The agreement must provide for the reimbursement of all costs incurred by the auditors and the department for their related data processing services.  The secretary must include in the secretary's biennial budget request sufficient funds to carry out these voter registration provisions.

SECOND SUBSTITUTE COMPARED TO FIRST SUBSTITUTE:  The second substitute bill expands the authority of the Secretary of State to require information on a registration form under this system.  The rules may now include those to establish the identity of the applicant and to prevent fraudulent registrations.  The second substitute also expands the oath that an applicant must sign under this system.  The oath must now contain a declaration regarding residency.  The second substitute also permits a county auditor to determine the medium to be used by the secretary in transmitting registration information to the county.  The first substitute contained an appropriation of $123,000; the second substitute does not contain an appropriation.  The effective date of the first substitute is postponed one year by the second substitute bill.

Fiscal Note:      Requested on second substitute bill January 31, 1990.

Effective Date:The provisions of the bill take effect on January 1, 1992, except those requiring the Secretary of State to adopt certain rules, establish agreements, and provide certain services.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Ralph Munro, Secretary of State; Ken Housden, County Auditors' Association; and Chuck Savauge, Common Cause.

House Committee - Testified Against:      No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    (1) This state was a leader in voter participation in elections but that participation is declining rapidly.  It has dropped in absolute numbers, without adjusting for growth.  The bill will increase the size of the pool of persons eligible to vote and the number who vote.  (2) Registration lists are used in transmitting a number of official communications to citizens; that communication is now with a smaller group.  (3) The registration rate for young people who are otherwise qualified to vote is low.  This bill will allow registration when they renew their drivers' licenses.  (4) Approximately 25 percent of Americans change residences in a year.  This system will help keep registration information current.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None.