H-304                _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1035

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Representatives Haugen, S. Wilson, Anderson, May, McLean, Winsley, Wineberry and Morris

Read first time 1/11/89 and referred to Committee on State Government.

AN ACT Relating to precinct election officers; and amending RCW 29.45.010.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 29.45.010, chapter 9, Laws of 1965 as last amended by section 7, chapter 71, Laws of 1983 1st ex. sess. and RCW 29.45.010 are each amended to read as follows:

          At least ten days prior to any primary or  election, general or special, the county auditor shall appoint one inspector and two judges of election for each precinct (or each combination of precincts temporarily consolidated as a single precinct for that primary or election), other than those precincts designated as vote-by-mail precincts pursuant to RCW 29.36.120, from among the names contained on the lists furnished by the chairman of the county central committee of the political parties entitled to representation thereon.

          Such precinct election officers, whenever possible, should be residents of the precinct in which they serve.  No person may be a precinct election officer for a precinct for a primary or for a special or general election if the person is a candidate for an office, other than precinct committee officer, for which voters in the precinct are entitled to cast ballots at that primary or election.

          The county auditor shall designate the inspector and one judge in each precinct from that political party which polled the highest number of votes in the county for its candidate for president at the last preceding presidential election and one judge from that political party polling the next highest number of votes in the county for its candidate for president at the same election.

          This shall be the exclusive method for the appointment of inspectors and judges to serve as precinct election officers at any primary or election, general or special, and shall supersede the provisions of any and all other statutes, whether general or special in nature, having different requirements.