5267 AMH GOVT LUND 48

SB 5267 ‑ H COMM AMD

By Committee on Government Operations

     On page 2, after line 23, strike all of section 2 and insert:

     "Sec. 2.  RCW 29.51.170 and 1988 c 181 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

     For any office at any election or primary, any voter may write in on the ballot the name of any person for an office who has filed as a write-in candidate for the office in the manner provided by RCW 29.04.180 and such vote shall be counted the same as if the name had been printed on the ballot and marked by the voter.  No write-in vote made for any person who has not filed a declaration of candidacy pursuant to RCW 29.04.180 is valid if that person filed for the same office, either as a regular candidate or a write-in candidate, at the preceding primary.  Any abbreviation used to designate office, position, or political party shall be accepted if the canvassing board can determine, to their satisfaction, the voter's intent.

Write-in votes cast for an office need not be tallied if, assuming all of these write-in votes were cast for the same person, the write-in votes could not have altered the outcome of the primary or election.

     Sec. 3.  RCW 29.51.170 shall be recodified as a section in chapter 29.62 RCW."

Correct the title.

EFFECT:  Clarifies that write-in votes need not be tallied if the write-in votes could not have altered the outcome of the primary or election.  Inserts this language into a section of law relating to the counting of write-in votes and recodifies this section into the chapter of law relating to canvassing votes.