Election bills await action

 

THE OLYMPIAN, NEWS SERVICES    02 April 2005

Dozens of election bills were introduced in the Washington Legislature this session, but only nine remain.
 
They've been passed by their houses of origin, approved by committees of the opposite house, and await action.

Two more bills are tied to the budget and have not yet had any floor votes. Here's the breakdown of what will be voted on in the Senate and House in the coming weeks.

- Vote by mail: Senate Bill 5744 makes it easier for counties to switch to all-mail voting. It was amended in committee to make it mandatory by 2012. It goes back to the Senate.

House Bill 1754 makes it mandatory for counties to switch to all-mail voting by 2008. Senate Government Operations and Elections committee amended this bill to make it voluntary for counties. It goes back to the House, which will consider the amendment.

- Primary date: House Bill 2027 changes the primary date to the third Tuesday in August, something county auditors and Secretary of State Sam Reed say is crucial to allow officials more time to handle any recounts and make preparations for the general election, including sending ballots to military and overseas voters. It was passed by the full House and approved by a Senate committee and now awaits action before the full Senate.

- Election procedures: Senate Bill 5499 imposes statewide standards for handling ballots, requires regular audits of county election departments and requires voters to show identification at the polls, with either a government-issued photo identification such as a driver's license or a voter registration card. Provisional ballots would have to look different than regular ballots and could not be tabulated with regular ballots. It was passed by the Senate and was approved by a House committee with several amendments, including removing the identification requirement. It goes back to the Senate, which will consider the amendments.

House Bill 1749 calls for a review of election-related policies, procedures and practices to be conducted at least once every three years, or as often as possible depending on staffing or budget levels. It was passed by the full House and approved by a Senate committee and now awaits action on the Senate floor.

Senate Bill 5743 requires voter registration forms to include boxes the applicant can check to indicate that he or she is a U.S. citizen, and that he or she is a member of the armed services; requires the secretary of state to verify applicant citizenship with immigration officials; and compels the secretary of state to check other state agency lists or databases for the purpose of identifying felons, among other things. It was passed by the full Senate and approved by the House committee with several amendments, including removing the citizenship verification. It now heads back to the Senate.

Senate Bill 5565 informs out-of-state, overseas and military voters of rights and procedures. It's been passed by the full Senate and approved by the House committee and awaits a vote on the House floor.

Senate Bill 5564 requires the secretary of state to prepare a manual of election laws and rules. It's been passed by the full Senate and been approved by a House committee and awaits a vote on the House floor.

- Election machine receipts: Senate Bill 5395 requires voting devices to produce paper records. It's been passed by the full Senate and approved by a House committee, but with some minor amendments. It now returns to the Senate, which will consider the amendments.

- Election costs: Senate Bill 5746 and House Bill 1748 would have the state assume a share of election costs whenever state officers or measures are voted on in a state primary or general election. Currently, the state only assumes a share of the cost in odd-numbered years. These bills are tied to the budget and have not yet been passed by the House or Senate.