H-3232 _______________________________________________
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 52
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State of Washington 49th Legislature 1986 Regular Session
By Representatives Fisher and Unsoeld
Prefiled with Chief Clerk 1/8/86. Read first time 1/13/86 and referred to Committee on Constitution, Elections & Ethics.
BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:
THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state there shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the state for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to Article II, section 15 of the Constitution of the state of Washington to read as follows:
Article II, section
15. Such
vacancies as may occur in either house of the legislature or in any partisan
county elective office shall be filled by appointment by the board of county
commissioners of the county in which the vacancy occurs: PROVIDED, That the
person appointed to fill the vacancy must be from the same legislative
district, county or county commissioner district and the same political party
as the legislator or partisan county elective officer whose office has been
vacated, and shall be one of three persons who shall be nominated by the county
central committee of that party, and in case a majority of said county
commissioners do not agree upon the appointment within ((sixty)) twenty-one
days after the vacancy occurs, the governor shall within ((thirty)) seven
days thereafter, and from the list of nominees provided for herein, appoint a
person who shall be from the same legislative district, county or county
commissioner district and of the same political party as the legislator or
partisan county elective officer whose office has been vacated, and the person
so appointed shall hold office until his successor is elected at the next
general election, and shall have qualified((: PROVIDED, That)).
In case of a vacancy occurring in the office of joint
senator, or joint representative, the vacancy shall be filled from a list of
three nominees selected by the state central committee, by appointment by the
joint action of the boards of county commissioners of the counties composing
the joint senatorial or joint representative district, the person appointed to
fill the vacancy must be from the same legislative district and of the same
political party as the legislator whose office has been vacated((, and)).
Of the total vote cast by the boards in filling a vacancy in such a joint
district, each county's share shall be equal to the percentage, to the nearest
whole percent, of the district's registered voters that reside within the
county. Further, a county's share of that vote shall be divided equally among
the members of that county's board. In case a majority of said county
commissioners do not agree upon the appointment within ((sixty)) twenty-one
days after the vacancy occurs, the governor shall within ((thirty)) seven
days thereafter, and from the list of nominees provided for herein, appoint a
person who shall be from the same legislative district and of the same
political party as the legislator whose office has been vacated.
For the purpose of filling a vacancy in either house of the legislature, the references in this section to board or boards of county commissioners, commissioner, or commissioners also means the legislative body or bodies of a county or counties with a home rule charter and a member or members of such a body or bodies.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause notice of the foregoing constitutional amendment to be published at least four times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal newspaper in the state.