BILL REQ. #:  H-1665.1 

Read first time 02/19/2003.   Referred to Committee on State Government.

     AN ACT Relating to daily counting of absentee ballots; amending RCW 29.62.020.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 29.62.020 and 1999 c 259 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) ((At least)) Every ((third)) day after a special election, primary, or general election and before certification of the election results, except Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, the county auditor shall convene the county canvassing board or their designees to process absentee ballots and canvass the votes cast at that special election, primary, or general election, if the county auditor is in possession of more than twenty-five ballots that have yet to be canvassed. The county auditor may use his or her discretion in determining when to convene the canvassing board or their designees during the final four days before the certification of election results in order to protect the secrecy of any ballot.
     Each absentee ballot previously not canvassed that was received by the county auditor ((two days or more)) before the convening of the canvassing board or their designees and that either was received by the county auditor before the closing of the polls on the day of the special election, primary, or general election for which it was issued, or that bears a date of mailing on or before the special election, primary, or general election for which it was issued, must be processed at that time. The tabulation of votes that results from that day's canvass must be made available to the general public immediately upon completion of the canvass.
     (2) On the tenth day after a special election or a primary and on the fifteenth day after a general election, the canvassing board shall complete the canvass and certify the results. Each absentee ballot that was returned before the closing of the polls on the date of the primary or election for which it was issued, and each absentee ballot with a date of mailing on or before the date of the primary or election for which it was issued and received on or before the date on which the primary or election is certified, shall be included in the canvass report.
     (3) At the request of any caucus of the state legislature, the county auditor shall transmit copies of all unofficial returns of state and legislative primaries or elections prepared by or for the county canvassing board to either the secretary of the senate or the chief clerk of the house.