HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2935

BYRepresentatives Horn, Haugen, Kirby, Ferguson, D. Sommers, Wood, Rayburn, Morris, Moyer, Wolfe, Brumsickle, Bowman, Walker, Nealey and Raiter

Modifying the provisions for local government elections.

House Committe on Local Government

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (13)

      Signed by Representatives Haugen, Chair; Cooper, Vice Chair; Ferguson, Ranking Republican Member; Horn, Kirby, Nealey, Nelson, Nutley, Phillips, Raiter, Rayburn, Wolfe and Zellinsky.

House Staff:Bill Lynch (786-7092)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

FEBRUARY 1, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Current general election laws provide very specific times when elections can be held.  These laws also provide that the county auditor must be given at least 45 days notice before an election may be held.  The laws pertaining to specific units of local government, however, often contain provisions which conflict with the general election laws.  This lack of consistency between the statutes confuses local officials responsible for implementing these laws.  If the local election laws are made consistent with the general election laws, then this confusion could be avoided.

The signature requirements for a petition requesting certain action, such as an annexation or the consolidation of a district, differ widely among units of local government with no apparent reason.  It is suggested that if these signature requirements were standardized, then it would be easier to administer these statutes.

The statutes pertaining to code cities contain several references to election duties being performed by the city clerk.  The county auditor is now responsible for these duties. Statutes often refer to electors or qualified voters instead of registered voters.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  Local government statutes which call for special or general elections at specific times are changed to conform to requirements contained in the general election statutes.

The signature requirements for petitions requesting local government action are standardized.  A petition must be signed by 10 percent of the registered voters in the district who voted in the last general municipal election.

References in the code city statutes to the city clerk are changed to the county auditor. References to electors and qualified voters are changed to registered voters.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  References to electors and qualified voters are changed to registered voters.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    John Pearson, Secretary of State's Office.

House Committee - Testified Against:      No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    This helps to start the process of standardizing local government elections.  It also removes confusing or archaic language from statute.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None.