WSR 98-01-049

ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINION

Cite as: AGO 1997 No. 8

[November 24, 1997]

political parties - elections - Interpreting of laws concerning "major parties."

1. Whenever a general election is conducted in an even-numbered year, any party with a candidate drawing five percent of the vote for any partisan statewide state or federal office qualifies as a "major party"; this designation holds until an election occurs in an even-numbered year in which one or more statewide partisan offices appear on the ballot and the party in question fails to gain five percent of the vote for any of its statewide candidates.

2. For a newly qualified major political party, the first election of precinct committee officers will occur at the next general election occurring in an even-numbered year.

3. If a party is not organized pursuant chapter 29.42 RCW, but is newly qualified as a major political party, it may designate the governing body or officers who will perform the functions assigned by law to the county or state committees of a major political party.

4. The provisions of RCW 29.45.010(4) restrict membership on a three-person election board to members of the parties whose candidates polled the greatest and the next greatest number of votes in a particular county.

5. If the county auditor appoints clerks to expand the size of a precinct election board pursuant to RCW 29.45.020, and there are three or more major parties, appointments should be made in such a way as to make the total membership of the election board as nearly equal among the parties as possible.

6. The ballot pick-up and delivery teams mentioned in RCW 29.54.037 should consist of one representative of each major political party which designates a representative for that purpose.

Requested by:

The Honorable Ralph Munro

Secretary of State

Elections Division

120 E. Union Avenue

P.O. Box 40232