HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2755

BYRepresentatives McLean, Miller, Anderson, Brumsickle, Ballard, Beck, Tate, Holland, Forner, Betrozoff, Silver, Wood, Youngsman, Moyer, Wolfe, Brough, May, Hankins, Van Luven, Walker, Winsley, R. Meyers, R. King, P. King, O'Brien,  Basich, Crane, Wineberry and Todd; by request of Secretary of State

Establishing voter registration by mail.

House Committe on State Government

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (9)

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

House Staff:Kenneth Hirst (786-7105) and Tim Burke (786-7103)

Rereferred House Committee on Appropriations

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (21)

      Signed by Representatives Locke, Chair; Grant, Vice Chair; H. Sommers, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Republican Member; Youngsman, Assistant Ranking Republican Member; Belcher, Bowman, Braddock, Brekke, Dorn, Doty, Hine, Inslee, May, McLean, Nealey, Peery, Rust, Sprenkle, Wang and Wineberry.

House Staff:      Karl Herzog (786-7271)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS FEBRUARY 5, 1990

BACKGROUND:

The county auditor is the chief registrar of voters within the county.  State law directs the auditor to appoint certain deputy registrars and permits the appointment of other registrars.  A registration officer must interrogate an applicant for voter registration concerning the applicant's qualifications as a voter.  The applicant must produce identification when it is necessary to establish the applicant's date of birth.  The applicant must also sign an oath of registration or the registration officer must refuse to register the applicant.

Whenever a voter registration card is sent by an auditor to a new registrant but is returned by the postal service as undeliverable, the auditor must initiate an inquiry into the validity of the registration of that voter.

Each deputy registrar other than a city or town clerk or salaried county employee is entitled to receive a fee of not less than 20 cents for each elector registered.

SUMMARY:

APPLICATION BY MAIL OR DELIVERY.  An elector may register to vote by mail or other delivery of a completed registration form to the county auditor.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND OATH.  In addition to the information an applicant for voter registration must provide a registration officer under other provisions of law, an applicant for registration by mail must provide his or her valid Washington driver's license number; or, if the applicant has no such license, a social security number; or, if the applicant has neither, the number from a valid Washington identicard.  If the application is without this identifying information, the auditor may not process the form until the information is provided.

The applicant must sign a registration oath.  The applicant must also sign a portion of the registration form, which may be used as an initiative signature card by the secretary of state.  The registration form must contain a warning indicating that a person who knowingly supplies false information or knowingly makes a false declaration as to qualifications is guilty of a Class C felony.

PROCESSING APPLICATIONS.  Upon receiving an application for registration by mail or delivery, the auditor must review the application to determine whether the information supplied is complete.  If it is not, the auditor must promptly send a notice of the deficiency to the applicant.  If it is complete, the applicant is considered to be registered as of the date of the postmark of the application or, if no postmark, as of the date the application was received by the auditor.

TRANSMITTING REGISTRATION CARDS, CANCELLATIONS.  The auditor must send the applicant by first class mail (within 45 days but not later than seven days before the next primary or election) a voter registration card identifying his or her precinct and with other information required by the secretary of state.  The postal service is to be instructed not to forward a voter registration card to any other address and to return undelivered cards to the auditor.  If such a voter registration card is returned as undeliverable, the registration of the voter must be immediately canceled.  Notice regarding the cancellation must be promptly sent to the voter.

FORMS.   The secretary of state must adopt an application form for registering by mail.  The secretary must furnish registration forms without cost to the counties.

REGISTRATION FEES REPEALED.  A provision of law is repealed that entitles each deputy registrar, with certain exceptions, to receive a fee for each elector registered.

CHANGES PROPOSED BY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS (SUBSTITUTE BILL):  The substitute bill incorporates a new section that provides for county auditor review of mail-in applications for voter registration.  Ninety days before a general election county auditors must review 10 percent of mail-in applications received since the last general election.  If 10 percent or more of the application samples are fraudulent or inaccurate, the county auditor must audit all mail-in applications received during that period.  Several technical changes are also made.

Fiscal Note:      Available (original bill).  Requested February 6, 1990 on Substitute Bill.

Effective Date:The bill takes effect on January 1, 1991.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    (State Government) Karen Flynn, County Auditors' Association; Sam Reed, Thurston County Auditor; and Ralph Munro, Secretary of State.

(Appropriations) No one.

House Committee - Testified Against:      (State Government) No one.

(Appropriations) No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    (State Government)(1) This registration system is used in 25 other states with no known cases of fraud.  (2) With democracy emerging throughout Eastern Europe, efforts should be pursued to make it easier for people to participate in democracy here.  (3) The deputy registrar system worked well when neighborhoods were the focus of town life; American life has changed, so should the registration system.

(Appropriations) None.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      (State Government) None.

(Appropriations) None.