S-1142.2  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6105

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senators Patterson and McCaslin

Read first time 02/21/2001.  Referred to Committee on State & Local Government.

Regulating funding of primaries.

    AN ACT Relating to costs of primaries; and adding a new section to chapter 29.18 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 29.18 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) In no circumstance will any state, county, city, or town public funds be spent on a primary if a public declaration of party affiliation is required before a voter may participate in the primary.  This section does not apply to presidential primaries under chapter 29.19 RCW.

    (2) A public declaration of party affiliation includes, but is not limited to, requiring voters to register their party affiliation, requiring a public declaration of affiliation so a voter may participate in the primary, requiring a voter to sign a pledge to support the political parties before a voter may participate in a primary, registering a voter with a party when the voter selects a political party's ballot at a primary, or recording a voter's choice of party ballot at the primary.

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