SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6031

BYSenators Nelson, Rasmussen, Talmadge and von Reichbauer

Establishing voter registration availability with driver's licensing.

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 24, 1990; January 26, 1990

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6031 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators Nelson, Chairman; McCaslin, Vice Chairman; Madsen, Newhouse, Niemi, Patrick, Rasmussen, Rinehart, Talmadge, Thorsness.

Senate Staff:Jon Carlson (786-7459)

                  January 29, 1990

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON LAW & JUSTICE, JANUARY 26, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Statistics indicate that, despite significant population growth over the last decade, voter participation in elections has been declining, particularly at the national level.  State election officials are concerned with this downward trend in voter turnout, and are proposing ways to broaden and facilitate the current voter registration process.  One method is to allow voter registration at driver's licensing facilities (motor voter).

SUMMARY:

A person may register to vote or transfer a voter registration when he or she applies for or renews a driver's license or identification card, and provides the driver licensing agent with information necessary to ensure correct identification and location of residence.  Before issuing an original license, identification card, or license renewal, the licensing agent must determine if the applicant wants to register to vote or transfer his or her registration.  If so, the agent provides the applicant with a voter registration form with instructions, and then records the applicant's request to register to vote.

Each driver's licensing facility in the state is required to send completed voter registration forms to the Secretary of State's office at the end of each week.  The Department of Licensing must produce and transmit at the end of each week to the Secretary of State a machine-readable file containing information from the records of each individual who requests a voter registration or transfer.

The Secretary of State must sort the records in the machine-readable file according to the county in which the applicant registers to vote.  The secretary delivers the voter registration forms received from the Department of Licensing, the machine-readable files, and a control listing of voter registration transactions to the county auditors no later than ten days after transmittal from the driver's licensing facilities.

The current voter registration requirements and forms are modified to ensure conformity with the motor voter registration provisions. 

The Secretary of State is required to coordinate with the Department of Licensing and county auditors in order to implement these provisions.  In addition, the secretary must adopt rules to maintain the safeguards of the voter registration process.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

The language of the oath on the voter registration form for drivers license facilities is set out in full rather than through reference to other statutes.  A specific declaration of citizenship and residence are added.

Appropriate penalty provisions are updated in order to provide improved enforcement authority over fraudulent voter registration practices.

The effective date is changed to January 1, 1992.  The appropriation of $165,000 for the current biennium is removed because of the change in the effective date.

A number of technical and clarifying changes are included.

Appropriation:    none

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      requested January 19, 1990

Senate Committee - Testified: FOR:  Ralph Munro, Secretary of State; Sam Reed, Thurston County Auditor; Cindy Zehnder, Teamsters Union; Jerry Sheehan, American Civil Liberties Union