5334 AMS HUNT S1557.1
SB 5334 - S AMD 22
By Senator Hunt
PULLED 02/28/2017
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1.  RCW 29A.08.140 and 2011 c 10 s 15 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) In order to vote in any primary, special election, or general election, a person who is not registered to vote in Washington must:
(a) Submit a registration application pursuant to RCW 29A.08.115, 29A.08.120, 29A.08.310, or 29A.08.320, received by election officials no later than ((twenty-nine)) eleven days before the day of the primary, special election, or general election; or
(b) ((Register)) Submit a registration application no later than eleven days before the day of the primary, special election, or general election:
(i) Pursuant to RCW 29A.08.123, 29A.08.330(4), or 29A.08.340; or
(ii) In person at the county auditor's office in his or her county of residence ((no later than eight days before the day of the primary, special election, or general election)), or an alternate location designated by the county auditor.
(2) A person who is already registered to vote in Washington may update his or her registration no later than ((twenty-nine)) eleven days before the day of the primary, special election, or general election to be in effect for that primary, special election, or general election. A registered voter who fails to transfer his or her residential address by this deadline may vote according to his or her previous registration address.
(3) If a voter registration deadline falls on a state or federal holiday, the deadline is moved to the next business day after the holiday.
Sec. 2.  RCW 29A.08.125 and 2009 c 369 s 12 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The office of the secretary of state shall maintain a statewide voter registration database. This database must be a centralized, uniform, interactive computerized statewide voter registration list that contains the name and registration information of every registered voter in the state.
(2) The statewide list is the official list of registered voters for the conduct of all elections.
(3) The statewide list must include, but is not limited to, the name, date of birth, residence address, signature, gender, and date of registration of every legally registered voter in the state.
(4) A unique identifier must be assigned to each registered voter in the state.
(5) The database must be coordinated with other government databases within the state including, but not limited to, the department of corrections, the department of licensing, the department of health, the administrative office of the courts, and county auditors. The database may also be coordinated with the databases of election officials in other states.
(6) Authorized employees of the secretary of state and each county auditor must have immediate electronic access to the information maintained in the database.
(7) Voter registration information received by each county auditor must be electronically entered into the database. The office of the secretary of state must provide support, as needed, to enable each county auditor to enter and maintain voter registration information in the state database.
(8) The secretary of state has data authority over all voter registration data.
(9) The voter registration database must be designed to accomplish at a minimum, the following:
(a) Comply with the help America vote act of 2002 (P.L. 107-252);
(b) Identify duplicate voter registrations;
(c) Identify suspected duplicate voters;
(d) Screen against any available databases maintained by other government agencies to identify voters who are ineligible to vote due to a felony conviction, lack of citizenship, or mental incompetence;
(e) Provide images of voters' signatures for the purpose of checking signatures on initiative and referendum petitions;
(f) Provide for a comparison between the voter registration database and the department of licensing change of address database;
(g) Provide access for county auditors that includes the capability to update registrations and search for duplicate registrations; ((and))
(h) Provide for the cancellation of registrations of voters who have moved out of state; and
(i) Provide for the change of residence address for a voter from one county to another.
(10) The secretary of state may, upon agreement with other appropriate jurisdictions, screen against any available databases maintained by election officials in other states and databases maintained by federal agencies including, but not limited to, the federal bureau of investigation, the federal court system, the federal bureau of prisons, and the bureau of citizenship and immigration services.
(11) The database shall retain information regarding previous successful appeals of proposed cancellations of registrations in order to avoid repeated cancellations for the same reason.
(12) Each county auditor shall maintain a list of all registered voters within the county that are contained on the official statewide voter registration list. In addition to the information maintained in the statewide database, the county database must also maintain the applicable taxing district and precinct codes for each voter in the county, and a list of elections in which the individual voted.
(13) Each county auditor shall allow electronic access and information transfer between the county's voter registration system and the official statewide voter registration list.
Sec. 3.  RCW 29A.08.410 and 2009 c 369 s 22 are each amended to read as follows:
A registered voter who changes his or her residence from one address to another within ((the same county)) this state may transfer his or her registration to the new address in one of the following ways:
(1) Sending the county auditor a request stating both the voter's present address and the address from which the voter was last registered;
(2) Appearing in person before the county auditor and making such a request;
(3) Telephoning or emailing the county auditor to ((transfer the)) change the residence address for voter registration; or
(4) Submitting a voter registration application.
Sec. 4.  RCW 29A.08.620 and 2011 c 10 s 17 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) Each county auditor must request change of address information from the postal service for all mail ballots.
(2) The county auditor shall transfer the registration of a voter and send an acknowledgment notice to the new address informing the voter of the transfer if change of address information received by the county auditor from the postal service, the department of licensing, or another agency designated to provide voter registration services indicates that the voter has moved within the ((county)) state.
(3) ((The county auditor shall place a voter on inactive status and send to all known addresses a confirmation notice and a voter registration application if change of address information received by the county auditor from the postal service, the department of licensing, or another agency designated to provide voter registration services indicates that the voter has moved from one county to another.
(4))) The county auditor shall place a voter on inactive status and send to all known addresses a confirmation notice if any of the following occur:
(a) Any document mailed by the county auditor to a voter is returned by the postal service as undeliverable without address correction information; or
(b) Change of address information received from the postal service, the department of licensing, or another state agency designated to provide voter registration services indicates that the voter has moved out of the state.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5.  RCW 29A.08.420 (Transfer to another county) and 2009 c 369 s 23, 2004 c 267 s 122, 2003 c 111 s 229, 1999 c 100 s 3, 1994 c 57 s 36, 1991 c 81 s 24, 1977 ex.s. c 361 s 26, 1971 ex.s. c 202 s 26, & 1965 c 9 s 29.10.040 are each repealed.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6.  (1) Sections 3 through 5 of this act take effect when the statewide voter registration database operated by the secretary of state is compliant with RCW 29A.08.125.
(2) The secretary of state's office must provide written notice to the code reviser's office when the statewide voter registration database is compliant with RCW 29A.08.125."
SB 5334 - S AMD 22
By Senator Hunt
PULLED 02/28/2017
On page 1 line 3 of the title, after "election;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 29A.08.140, 29A.08.125, 29A.08.410, and 29A.08.620; repealing RCW 29A.08.420; and providing a contingent effective date."
EFFECT: Moves the deadline to update an existing voter registration to 11 days before an election on the bill's effective date.
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