H-0170.1  _______________________________________________

 

                          HOUSE BILL 1231

          _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

 

By Representatives D. Schmidt, McMorris, Kessler, Lambert, G. Chandler, Pearson, Armstrong, Eickmeyer, Pennington, Clements and Sump

 

Read first time 01/22/2001.  Referred to Committee on State Government.

Clarifying where declarations of candidacy are filed.


    AN ACT Relating to filing for office; and amending RCW 29.15.030.

 

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

 

    Sec. 1.  RCW 29.15.030 and 1998 c 22 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    Declarations of candidacy shall be filed ((with the following filing officers)) as follows:

    (1) ((The secretary of state for)) Declarations of candidacy for statewide offices, the United States senate, ((and)) the United States house of representatives((;

    (2) The secretary of state for declarations of candidacy for the state legislature)), the court of appeals, and the superior court when voters from a district comprising more than one county vote upon the candidates((;

    (3) The county auditor for all other offices.  For any nonpartisan office, other than judicial offices and school director in joint districts, where voters from a district comprising more than one county vote upon the candidates, a declaration of candidacy shall)) must be filed with the secretary of state.

    (2) Declarations of candidacy for the state legislature must be filed with either the secretary of state or the county auditor of the county in which the candidate is registered to vote.  Each county auditor with whom a declaration of candidacy is filed for the state legislature shall notify the secretary of state about this filing, using one of the methods of communication designated by the secretary of state, within one hour of the close of business on the day the declaration was filed.  The filing fee accompanying a declaration of candidacy for the legislature that is filed with a county auditor will be retained by the county if the legislative district is located entirely within that county, or the county shall transfer a portion of the filing fee to each other county in which the legislative district is located in the same manner as the secretary of state distributes the filing fee under RCW 29.15.050.

    (3) Declarations of candidacy for all county offices and for all other offices of a local government that is either coextensive with a county or located completely within a county must be filed with the county auditor of that county.

    (4) Declarations of candidacy for any other office of a local government that is located in more than one county, other than a school director of a joint school district, must be filed with the county auditor of the county in which a majority of the registered voters of the district reside.  ((For school directors in joint school districts, the declaration of candidacy shall))

    (5) Declarations of candidacy for school director of a joint school district must be filed with the county auditor of the county designated by the state board of education as the county to which the joint school district is considered as belonging under RCW ((28A.315.380)) 28A.323.040.

    Each official with whom declarations of candidacy are filed under this section, within one business day following the closing of the applicable filing period, shall forward to the public disclosure commission a copy of each declaration of candidacy filed in his office during such filing period or a list containing the name of each candidate who files such a declaration in his office during such filing period together with a precise identification of the position sought by each such candidate and the date on which each such declaration was filed.  Such official, within three days following his receipt of any letter withdrawing a person's name as a candidate, shall also forward a copy of such withdrawal letter to the public disclosure commission.

 


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