Washington Administrative Code

(1) All costs related to a specific primary or election must, at a minimum, contain the following details for submission to the office of the secretary of state for reimbursement. Do not include voter registration costs or depreciation. Failure to separate costs into categories a…

The cost of a local voters' pamphlet produced by the county auditor under RCW 29A.32.210 may only be charged to those jurisdiction(s) included in the pamphlet. The costs must be apportioned separately from other primary or election costs. The office of the secretary of state cann…

Two approved methods for allocating costs directly related to a specific primary or election are detailed in this section. The county auditor, once having adopted a method, shall use the same parameters for all primaries and elections within the next election cycle.Allocate costs…

(1) Following a state primary or election, each county auditor shall provide to the office of the secretary of state a completed claim for reimbursement of direct election expenses incurred by the county, prorated with any other jurisdictions participating in the primary or elect…

(1) Claims for reimbursements for election and local voters' pamphlet costs submitted to the office of the secretary of state must include the following:(a) Completed and signed voucher as required by the office of the secretary of state;(b) Financial records that match or allow …

(1)(a) When a recount is requested, the requestor is responsible for the cost of the recount in accordance with chapter 29A.64 RCW.(i) Calculate recount costs separately and subtract the deposit.(ii) If additional costs are owed, bill the requestor.(iii) If deposit funds are not …

As authorized by RCW 36.33.200, the county legislative authority may establish an election reserve fund for the payment of expenses of conducting regular and special state and county primaries or elections and compensation of election and registration officers and annually budget…

(1) The expense of voter registration shall be distributed according to RCW 29A.08.150. Costs must be divided between the county and cities or towns according to the total registered voters contained in the city or town and the county for all other registered voters. The total re…

The following calculation shall be used when determining the allocation of voter registration costs:(1) Determine the total voter registration costs for the entire fiscal year. Include amounts from the federal indirect cost allocation plan created in accordance with WAC 434-270-0…

The regulations in this chapter are adopted to implement the special election provisions of chapter 6, Laws of 1981 2nd ex. sess. (Initiative Measure 394) and chapter 88, Laws of 1982, in a manner reasonably consistent with the laws and procedures for referring initiatives, refer…

(1) Any public agency which intends to hold a special election pursuant to RCW 80.52.040 shall file with the secretary of state a preliminary, independent cost-effectiveness study of the project under consideration. This study shall be available for public inspection, review, and…

Any public agency which desires to hold a special election pursuant to RCW 80.52.040 shall submit to the secretary of state a certified copy of the ordinance, resolution, order, or other evidence of legislative action requesting such an election and specifying:(1) The name, locat…

When a public agency submits a request for a special election pursuant to RCW 80.52.040, the secretary of state shall sequentially number each bond measure to appear on the ballot, beginning with the number "101," and shall designate each bond measure with the title, "Major Publi…

Within seven days of the receipt of a request to hold a special election pursuant to RCW 80.52.040, the attorney general shall prepare and file with the secretary of state a ballot title for each major public energy project bond measure formulated as required by RCW 80.52.060.[WS…

The secretary of state shall furnish copies of the preliminary cost-effectiveness study, the final cost-effectiveness study, the summary of the final cost-effectiveness study, or the ballot title promptly upon receipt to any individual who has submitted a written request for such…

Any registered voter may appeal to the superior court of Thurston County to review the contents of the ballot title or the summary of the final cost-effectiveness study on a major public energy project bond measure up to ten days following the filing of such document with the sec…

Within ten days of the receipt of a request to hold a special election pursuant to RCW 80.52.040, the secretary of state shall certify the title of the measure and the ballot title to the county auditor in each county containing a portion of the public agency requesting the elect…

Any person who wishes to be appointed to serve on a committee to draft the arguments in favor of or in opposition to a major public energy project bond measure or any person who wishes to recommend any individual to serve on such a committee may submit such request or recommendat…

Within fifteen days of the receipt of a request to hold a special election pursuant to RCW 80.52.040, the secretary of state shall appoint a committee of three persons to write the arguments and rebuttals in favor of the major public energy project bond measure and a committee of…

The persons appointed to a committee to write arguments and rebuttals on a major public energy project may, within fifteen days of their appointment, select an advisory committee of up to five persons to assist them in drafting the arguments and rebuttals on that measure. The nam…

At least sixty days prior to the special election on the major public energy project bond measure, each committee appointed pursuant to WAC 434-91-100 shall submit an argument for or against that measure to the secretary of state in the form and style prescribed for other voters …

County auditors may include in the election costs to be allocated pursuant to RCW 29A.04.420 any of the following types of charges:(1) Salaries, wages, and benefits for precinct officers and part-time or temporary employees whose responsibilities are directly attributable to the …

The portion of total election costs in each county which shall be allocated to the public agency requesting a special election pursuant to RCW 80.52.040 shall be equal to the total cost of conducting that election multiplied by a quotient the numerator of which is the product of …

The county auditor of each county in which a major public energy project bond measure appeared on the ballot shall submit to the secretary of state a summary of the total cost of the election in that county, a description of the allocation of that cost among the jurisdiction part…

The secretary of state may include in the election costs to be allocated pursuant to RCW 80.52.050(5) any of the following types of charges:(1) That portion of the salaries, wages, and benefits for regular employees (other than the secretary of state) and part-time or temporary e…

Upon receipt of payment by the applicant, the secretary of state shall disburse the appropriate amounts to each county in the same manner as election costs are reimbursed pursuant to RCW 29A.04.420.[Statutory Authority: RCW 29A.04.610. WSR 04-15-089, § 434-291-170, filed 7/16/04,…

As used in this chapter:(1) "Accepted" means the voter's ballot has been signature verified and is ready for initial processing.(2) "Active status" means a designation assigned to voters with complete voter registration records signifying that the voter is eligible to vote.(3) "A…

The secretary of state shall provide an election management system that has the capability to:(1) Store information required in WAC 434-324-010;(2) Generate a list of registered voters in a county and their registration statuses;(3) Track information specific to single elections,…

(1) Each auditor must enter and maintain voter registration records in the official statewide voter registration database by using the election management system. Each record must contain at least the following information from the voter registration application in a format compa…

All auditors shall use the following system of two character codes for designating the county in which the voter is registered:(1) Adams: AD;(2) Asotin: AS;(3) Benton: BE;(4) Chelan: CH;(5) Clallam: CM;(6) Clark: CR;(7) Columbia: CU;(8) Cowlitz: CZ;(9) Douglas: DG;(10) Ferry: FE;…

[Statutory Authority: RCW 29A.04.611. WSR 24-16-019, § 434-324-026, filed 7/25/24, effective 8/25/24; WSR 21-21-001, § 434-324-026, filed 10/6/21, effective 11/6/21; WSR 20-13-043, § 434-324-026, filed 6/10/20, effective 7/11/20; WSR 19-12-115, § 434-324-026, filed 6/5/19, effect…

Consistent with RCW 29A.08.020, the date of receipt by an elections official is considered the date of voter registration application.[Statutory Authority: RCW 29A.04.611. WSR 19-12-115, § 434-324-028, filed 6/5/19, effective 7/6/19; WSR 14-06-040, § 434-324-028, filed 2/26/14, e…

(1) The secretary of state's electronic voter registration web page must have the capability to:(a) Reject applicants without a Washington state driver's license, state identification card, or valid tribal identification as required by RCW 29A.08.123;(b) Require the applicant to …

All records pertaining to a protected records voter shall be maintained in a manner that ensures that the records are accessible only to authorized personnel. Information for a protected records voter shall not be maintained on any voter registration database and shall not be pub…

(1) Upon entry of a new voter registration, the statewide voter registration database must assign a registration identification number to the registration.(2) If the applicant provided a Washington driver's license number, state identification card number or valid tribal identifi…

(1) If the applicant is provisionally registered pursuant to WAC 434-324-040, the county auditor may use other government resources and public records to confirm the applicant's driver's license or state identification card number, valid tribal identification card, or the last fo…

Upon receipt of an applicant's electronic voter registration record from the auditor, and on a daily basis, the secretary must search for potential duplicate registration records in the official statewide voter registration database by comparing the applicant's name and date of b…

(1) Pursuant to RCW 29A.08.140, a person already registered to vote in Washington may update their registration by submitting an address change using a registration application or making notification via any non-in-person method that is physically received by an election official…

(1) The auditor must send an acknowledgment notice to an individual by nonforwardable, address correction requested mail if an individual:(a) Registers to vote;(b) Transfers their registration record within the county;(c) Transfers their registration record from another county wi…

(1) When a voter is placed on inactive status, the county auditor must send a confirmation notice to the voter by first-class forwardable mail, and must include a response form that:(a) Is preaddressed and postage prepaid;(b) Includes the voter's registration number;(c) Asks the …

(1) An auditor must cancel the voter registration records of a deceased voter as authorized by RCW 29A.08.510.(2) In addition to comparing a list of deceased persons prepared by the registrar of vital statistics with voter registration records pursuant to RCW 29A.08.510, the secr…

Pursuant to RCW 29A.08.510, the auditor must furnish to the public upon request forms for the purpose of permitting registered voters to request that the voter registration record of any person, whom they personally know to be deceased, be canceled.[Statutory Authority: RCW 29A.0…

A verification notice must be sent when a voter registration application does not contain all the minimum information required in RCW 29A.08.010. The notice must be sent by first-class forwardable mail and must include a response form that:(1) Is preaddressed and postage paid or …

(1) Upon receipt of a complete automatic voter registration application, the county auditor must send the automatic voter registration applicant an acknowledgment notice package as defined in RCW 29A.08.030 within five business days. The voter registration transaction can include…

(1) The right to vote is restored following a felony conviction that includes serving a sentence of total confinement upon release from total confinement as established in RCW 29A.08.520.(2)(a) The secretary of state must compare lists of persons held in total confinement for a f…

(1) The secretary must mail a notification letter to each registered voter identified through the process set forth in WAC 434-324-106.(2) The notification letter must contain language informing the person:(a) That they are potentially a voter whose status is pending cancellation…

(1) If a person sent a notification by the secretary under the processes set forth in WAC 434-324-1065 fails to contact the auditor within 30 days of the date of the letter, that person's voter registration must be canceled. If an election in which the person would otherwise be e…