(1) The election of major political party precinct committee officers is established in RCW
29A.52.171 and
29A.80.051.
(2) The election of precinct committee officer is an intraparty election; candidates compete against other candidates in the same political party.
(a) If only one candidate files for a position, that candidate is deemed elected without appearing on the ballot and the county auditor shall issue a certificate of election.
(b) If more than one candidate files for a position, the contested race must appear on the ballot at the primary and the candidate who receives the most votes is declared elected.
(c) If no candidates file during the regular filing period, the race does not appear on the ballot and the position may be filled by appointment pursuant to RCW
29A.80.031.
(d) No write-in line may be printed on the ballot for a contested race, and no write-in votes may be counted.
(3) If both major political parties have contested races on the ballot in the same precinct, the political party that received the highest number of votes from the electors of this state for the office of president at the last presidential election must appear first, with the other political party appearing second. Within each party, candidates shall be listed in the order determined by lot.
(4)(a) The position of political party precinct committee officer must appear following all measures and public offices.
(b) The following explanation must be printed before the list of candidates: "For this office only: In order to vote for precinct committee officer, a partisan office, you must affirm that you are a Democrat or a Republican and may vote only for one candidate from the party you select. Your vote for a candidate affirms your affiliation with the same party as the candidate. This preference is private and will not be matched to your name or shared."
(c)(i) If all candidates are listed under one heading, the applicable party abbreviation "Dem" or "Rep" must be printed next to each candidate's name, with the first letter of the abbreviation capitalized. For example:
John Smith Dem
Jane Doe Dem
(ii) If candidates are listed under a major political party heading, the applicable heading of either "democratic party candidates" or "republican party candidates" must be printed above each group of candidates. The first letter of each word must be capitalized.
(d) One of the following statements, as applicable, must be printed directly below each candidate's name: "I affirm I am a Democrat." or "I affirm I am a Republican."
(5) A voter may vote for only one candidate, regardless of party, for precinct committee officer. If a voter votes for more than one candidate, the votes must be treated as overvotes.
[Statutory Authority: RCW
29A.04.611. WSR 23-15-018, § 434-230-100, filed 7/7/23, effective 8/7/23; WSR 14-06-040, § 434-230-100, filed 2/26/14, effective 3/29/14; WSR 12-14-074, § 434-230-100, filed 7/2/12, effective 8/2/12. Statutory Authority: RCW
29A.04.611,
29A.04.620, and
29A.04.630. WSR 11-24-064, § 434-230-100, filed 12/6/11, effective 1/6/12. Statutory Authority: RCW
29A.04.611. WSR 08-15-052, § 434-230-100, filed 7/11/08, effective 8/11/08.]