S-161 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL NO. 5187
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State of Washington 51st Legislature 1989 Regular Session
By Senators Pullen, Talmadge, Nelson, Hayner, Thorsness, Rasmussen and Madsen
Read first time 1/18/89 and referred to Committee on Law & Justice.
AN ACT Relating to nonpartisan and judicial elections; amending RCW 29.21.150 and 29.80.020; and adding a new section to chapter 29.21 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. Section 1, chapter 10, Laws of 1970 ex. sess. as amended by section 5, chapter 120, Laws of 1975-'76 2nd ex. sess. and RCW 29.21.150 are each amended to read as follows:
The name of
the ((person)) candidate who receives the greatest number of
votes and of the ((person)) candidate who receives the next greatest
number of votes at the primary for a single nonpartisan position shall appear
on the general election ballot in that order under the ((designation
therefor: PROVIDED, That in elections for justices of the supreme court,
judges of the court of appeals and judges of the superior court, and for state
superintendent of public instruction, if any candidate in the primary receives
a majority of all the votes cast for the position, only the name of the person
receiving the highest vote shall be printed on the general election ballot
under the designation for that position, followed by a space for the writing in
of any other name by a voter)) title of that office.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 29.21 RCW to read as follows:
No nominating primary shall be held for any position in the supreme court, the court of appeals, or the superior court if, after the last day for candidates to withdraw, no more than two candidates have filed valid declarations of candidacy for a single position to be elected at the subsequent general election. The names of the candidates for these positions shall be printed as nominees for the respective positions on the general election ballot in the order determined under RCW 29.18.022. The filing officer shall promptly notify all candidates in those positions which will not appear on the ballot at the primary.
Sec. 3. Section 29.80.020, chapter 9, Laws of 1965 as last amended by section 2, chapter 54, Laws of 1984 and RCW 29.80.020 are each amended to read as follows:
At a time
to be determined by the secretary of state, but in any event not later than
forty-five days before the applicable state general election, each nominee for
the office of United States senator, United States representative, governor,
lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor,
attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, commissioner of public
lands, insurance commissioner, state senator, state representative, justice of
the supreme court, judge of the court of appeals, or judge of the superior
court may file with the secretary of state a written statement advocating his
or her candidacy accompanied by the campaign mailing address and telephone
number submitted by the nominee at the nominee's option, and a photograph not
more than five years old and of a size and quality that the secretary of state
determines to be suitable for reproduction in the voters' pamphlet. The
maximum number of words for the statements shall be determined according to the
offices sought as follows: State representative, one hundred words; state
senator, judge of the superior court, judge of the court of appeals, justice of
the supreme court, and all state offices voted upon throughout the state,
except that of governor, two hundred words; United States senator, United
States representative, and governor, three hundred words. ((No such
statement or photograph may be printed in the candidates' pamphlet for any
person who is the sole nominee for any nonpartisan or judicial office.))