RCW 29A.68.070 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 68 / Section 070
RCW 29A.68.070: Misconduct of board—Irregularity material to result.
Status: in_force

No irregularity or improper conduct in the proceedings of any county canvassing board or any member of the board amounts to such malconduct as to annul or set aside any election unless the irregularity or improper conduct was such as to either, reverse the outcome of an election measure or procure the person whose right to the office may be contested, to be declared duly elected although the person did not receive the highest number of legal votes.
RCW 29A.60.125 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 60 / Section 125
RCW 29A.60.125: Damaged ballots.
Status: in_force

If inspection of the ballot reveals a physically damaged ballot or ballot that may be otherwise unreadable or uncountable by the tabulating system, the county auditor may refer the ballot to the county canvassing board or duplicate the ballot if so authorized by the county canvassing board. The voter's original ballot may not be altered. A ballot may be duplicated only if the intent of the voter's marks on the ballot is clear and the electronic voting equipment might not otherwise properly tally the ballot to reflect the intent of the voter. Ballots must be duplicated by teams of two or more people working together. When duplicating ballots, the county auditor shall take the following steps to create and maintain an audit trail of the action taken: (1) Each original ballot and duplicate ballot must be assigned the same unique control number, with the number being marked upon the face of each ballot, to ensure that each duplicate ballot may be tied back to the original ballot; (2) A log must be kept of the ballots duplicated, which must at least include: (a) The control number of each original ballot and the corresponding duplicate ballot; (b) The initials of at least two people who participated in the duplication of each ballot; and (c) The total number of ballots duplicated. Original and duplicate ballots must be sealed in secure storage at all times, except during duplication, inspection by the canvassing board, tabulation, or to conduct an audit under RCW 29A.60.185 .
RCW 29A.04.570 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 570
RCW 29A.04.570: Review of county election procedures.
Status: in_force

(1)(a) The election review staff of the office of the secretary of state shall conduct a review of election-related policies, procedures, and practices in an affected county or counties: (i) If the unofficial returns of a primary or general election for a position in the state legislature indicate that a mandatory recount is likely for that position; or (ii) If unofficial returns indicate a mandatory recount is likely in a statewide election or an election for federal office. Reviews conducted under (a)(ii) of this subsection shall be performed in as many selected counties as time and staffing permit. Reviews conducted as a result of mandatory recounts shall be performed between the time the unofficial returns are complete and the time the recount is to take place, if possible. (b) In addition to conducting reviews under (a) of this subsection, the election review staff shall also conduct such a review in a county at least once every five years, in conjunction with a county primary or special or general election, at the direction of the secretary of state or at the request of the county auditor. If staffing or budget levels do not permit a five-year election cycle for reviews, then reviews must be done as often as possible. If any resident of this state believes that an aspect of a primary or election has been conducted inappropriately in a county, the resident may file a complaint with the secretary of state. The secretary shall consider such complaints in scheduling periodic reviews under this section. (c) Before an election review is conducted in a county, the secretary of state shall provide the county auditor of the affected county and the chair of the state central committee of each major political party with notice that the review is to be conducted. When a periodic review is to be conducted in a county at the direction of the secretary of state under (b) of this subsection, the secretary shall provide the affected county auditor not less than thirty days' notice. (2) Reviews shall be conducted in conformance with rules adopted under RCW 29A.04.630 . In performing a review in a county under this chapter, the election review staff shall evaluate the policies and procedures established for conducting the primary or election in the county and the practices of those conducting it. As part of the review, the election review staff shall issue to the county auditor and the members of the county canvassing board a report of its findings and recommendations regarding such policies, procedures, and practices. A review conducted under this chapter shall not include any evaluation, finding, or recommendation regarding the validity of the outcome of a primary or election or the validity of any canvass of returns nor does the election review staff have any jurisdiction to make such an evaluation, finding, or recommendation under this title. (3) The county auditor or the county canvassing board shall respond to the review report in writing, listing the steps that will be taken to correct any problems listed in the report. Within one year of issuance of the response provided by the county auditor or county canvassing board, the secretary of state shall verify that the county has taken the steps to correct the problems noted in the report. (4) The county auditor of the county in which a review is conducted under this section or a member of the canvassing board of the county may appeal the findings or recommendations of the election review staff regarding the review by filing an appeal with the board created under RCW 29A.04.510 .
RCW 29A.08.105 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 105
RCW 29A.08.105: Official voter list, maintained by secretary of state—Role of county auditors and elections offices.
Status: in_force

(1) In compliance with the Help America Vote Act (P.L. 107-252), the centralized statewide voter registration list maintained by the secretary of state is the official list of eligible voters for all elections. (2) In all counties, the county auditor shall be the chief registrar of voters for every precinct within the county. (3) Requests for records from, or any existing standard reports generated by, the statewide voter registration database must be submitted to and fulfilled by the secretary of state per Title 42 RCW. If a county elections office receives a request for records from, or any existing standard reports generated by, the statewide voter registration database, the county elections office is not required to produce any records in response to the request, but shall, by the deadline set forth in RCW 42.56.520 , direct the requestor to submit the request to the secretary of state.
RCW 29A.08.835 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 835
RCW 29A.08.835: County auditor to publish voter challenges on the internet—Ongoing notification requirements—Retention.
Status: in_force

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(1) The county auditor shall, within seventy-two hours of receipt, publish on the auditor's internet website the entire content of any voter challenge filed under chapter 29A.08 RCW. Immediately after publishing any voter challenge, the county auditor shall notify any person who requests to receive such notifications on an ongoing basis. (2) The information on the website may be removed 45 days following certification of an election. Information related to the challenge must be maintained by the county auditor for the appropriate retention period, and is subject to disclosure upon request.
RCW 29A.08.370 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 370
RCW 29A.08.370: Automatic registration—Registration of person ineligible to vote.
Status: in_force

(1) If a person who is ineligible to vote becomes, in the rare occasion, registered to vote under RCW 29A.08.355 or 29A.08.362 in the absence of a knowing violation by that person of RCW 29A.84.140 , that person shall be deemed to have performed an authorized act of registration and such act may not be considered as evidence of a claim to citizenship. (2) Unless a person willfully and knowingly votes or attempts to vote knowing that he or she is not entitled to vote, a person who is ineligible to vote and becomes registered to vote under RCW 29A.08.355 or 29A.08.362 , and subsequently votes or attempts to vote in an election held after the effective date of the person's registration, is not guilty of violating RCW 29A.84.130 , and shall be deemed to have performed an authorized act, and such act may not be considered as evidence of a claim to citizenship. (3) A person who is ineligible to vote, who successfully completes the voter registration process under RCW 29A.08.355 or 29A.08.362 or votes in an election, must have their voter registration, or record of vote, removed from the voter registration database and any other application records. (4) Should an ineligible individual become registered to vote, the office of the secretary of state and the relevant agency shall jointly determine the cause. If the cause is found to be intentional registration of ineligible persons by a person employed by the state or county government tasked with assisting the public with voter registration, that government employee is subject to the penalties of RCW 29A.84.110 .
RCW 29A.08.810 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 810
RCW 29A.08.810: Basis for challenging a voter's registration—Who may bring a challenge—Challenger duties.
Status: in_force

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(1) Registration of a person as a voter is presumptive evidence of his or her right to vote. A challenge to the person's right to vote must be based on personal knowledge of one of the following: (a) The challenged voter has been convicted of a felony that includes serving a sentence of total confinement under jurisdiction of the department of corrections, or a felony conviction in another state's court or federal court and the voter is serving that sentence of total confinement and the person's voting rights have not been restored under RCW 29A.08.520 ; (b) The challenged voter has been judicially declared ineligible to vote due to mental incompetency under RCW 29A.08.515 ; (c) The challenged voter resides at a different address than the residential address provided, and is not subject to RCW 29A.04.151 or 29A.08.112 , in which case the challenger must either: (i) Provide the challenged voter's actual residence on the challenge form; or (ii) Submit evidence that he or she exercised due diligence to verify that the challenged voter does not reside at the address provided. The challenger must, at minimum, provide evidence that the challenger personally: (A) Sent a letter with return service requested to the challenged voter's residential address provided, and to the challenged voter's mailing address, if provided; (B) Searched local telephone directories, including online directories, to determine whether the voter maintains a telephone listing at any address in the county; (C) Searched county auditor property records to determine whether the challenged voter owns any property in the county; (D) Searched the statewide voter registration database to determine if the voter is registered at any other address in the state; and (E) Searched the voter registration database of another state to determine if the voter is registered to vote in any other state; (d) The challenged voter will not be eighteen years of age by the next general election; or (e) The challenged voter is not a citizen of the United States. (2) A person's right to vote may be challenged by another registered voter or the county prosecuting attorney. (3) The challenger must file a signed affidavit subject to the penalties of perjury swearing that, to his or her personal knowledge and belief, having exercised due diligence to personally verify the evidence presented, the challenged voter either is not qualified to vote or does not reside at the address given on his or her voter registration record based on one of the reasons allowed in subsection (1) of this section. The challenger must provide the factual basis for the challenge, including any information required by subsection (1)(c) of this section, in the signed affidavit. The challenge may not be based on unsupported allegations or allegations by anonymous third parties. All documents pertaining to the challenge are public records. (4) Challenges based on a felony conviction under RCW 29A.08.520 must be heard according to RCW 29A.08.520 and rules adopted by the secretary of state.
RCW 29A.72.020 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 72 / Section 020
RCW 29A.72.020: Review of proposed initiatives—Certificate required.
Status: in_force

Upon receipt of a proposed initiative measure, and before giving it a serial number, the secretary of state shall submit a copy thereof to the office of the code reviser and give notice to the sponsor of such transmittal. Upon receipt of the measure, the assistant code reviser to whom it has been assigned may confer with the sponsor and shall within seven working days from its receipt, review the proposal and recommend to the sponsor such revision or alteration of the measure as may be deemed necessary and appropriate. The recommendations of the code reviser's office are advisory only, and the sponsor may accept or reject them in whole or in part. The code reviser shall issue a certificate of review certifying that he or she has reviewed the measure and that any recommendations have been communicated to the sponsor. The certificate must be issued whether or not the sponsor accepts such recommendations. Within fifteen working days after notification of submittal of the proposed measure to the code reviser's office, the sponsor, if he or she desires to proceed with sponsorship, shall file the measure together with the certificate of review with the secretary of state for assignment of a serial number, and the secretary of state shall then submit to the code reviser's office a certified copy of the measure filed. Upon submission of the proposal to the secretary of state for assignment of a serial number, the secretary of state shall refuse to make such assignment unless the proposal is accompanied by a certificate of review.
RCW 29B.35.030 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 35 / Section 030
RCW 29B.35.030: Rule-making authority.
Status: in_force

The public disclosure commission must adopt rules in furtherance of the purpose of this chapter. Nothing in this chapter constitutes a violation under other chapters of this title, or otherwise authorizes the public disclosure commission to take action under RCW 29B.60.020 .
RCW 29B.10.290 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 290
RCW 29B.10.290: Incidental committee.
Status: in_force

"Incidental committee" means any nonprofit organization not otherwise defined as a political committee but that may incidentally make a contribution or an expenditure in excess of the reporting thresholds in RCW 29B.25.090 , directly or through a political committee. Any nonprofit organization is not an incidental committee if it is only remitting payments through the nonprofit organization in an aggregated form and the nonprofit organization is not required to report those payments in accordance with this title.
RCW 29A.08.172 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 172
RCW 29A.08.172: Registration at age sixteen and seventeen—Application by mail.
Status: in_force

(1) A person who has attained sixteen years of age may sign up to register to vote, as part of the future voter program, by submitting a voter registration application by mail. (2) The applicant must attest to the truth of the information provided on the application by affirmatively accepting the information as true. (3) If signing up to register by mail, the person must provide a signature for voter registration purposes. (4) The applicant must affirmatively acknowledge that he or she will not vote in a special or general election until his or her eighteenth birthday.
RCW 29B.40.200 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 40 / Section 200
RCW 29B.40.200: Solicitation of endorsement fees.
Status: in_force

A person may not solicit from a candidate for public office, political committee, political party, or other person money or other property as a condition or consideration for an endorsement, article, or other communication in the news media promoting or opposing a candidate for public office, political committee, or political party.
RCW 29A.72.025 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 72 / Section 025
RCW 29A.72.025: Fiscal impact statements.
Status: in_force

The office of financial management, in consultation with the secretary of state, the attorney general, and any other appropriate state or local agency, shall prepare a fiscal impact statement for each of the following state ballot measures: (1) An initiative to the people that is certified to the ballot; (2) an initiative to the legislature that will appear on the ballot; (3) an alternative measure appearing on the ballot that the legislature proposes to an initiative to the legislature; (4) a referendum bill referred to voters by the legislature; and (5) a referendum measure appearing on the ballot. The secretary of state shall notify the office of financial management and the attorney general when the sponsor of a ballot measure has made an appointment to submit petitions to the secretary of state for filing. The office of financial management and appropriate state agencies may begin work on a fiscal impact statement prior to the submission of petitions. Fiscal impact statements must be written in clear and concise language, avoid legal and technical terms when possible, and be filed with the secretary of state no later than July 23rd if a public investment impact disclosure is required under RCW 29A.72.027 , and no later than July 31st for all other measures. Fiscal impact statements may include easily understood graphics. A fiscal impact statement must describe any projected increase or decrease in revenues, costs, expenditures, or indebtedness that the state or local governments will experience if the ballot measure were approved by state voters. Where appropriate, a fiscal impact statement may include both estimated dollar amounts and a description placing the estimated dollar amounts into context. A fiscal impact statement must include both a summary of not to exceed one hundred words and a more detailed statement that includes the assumptions that were made to develop the fiscal impacts. Fiscal impact statements must be available online from the secretary of state's website and included in the state voters' pamphlet. Additional information may be posted on the website of the office of financial management.
RCW 29A.32.040 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 32 / Section 040
RCW 29A.32.040: Explanatory statements.
Status: in_force

(1) Explanatory statements prepared by the attorney general under RCW 29A.32.070 (3) and (4) must be written in clear and concise language, avoiding legal and technical terms when possible. Statements are initiated by written request from the secretary of state, and must be filed with the secretary of state by the date provided in the request. (2) When the explanatory statements for a measure initiated by petition are filed with the secretary of state, the secretary of state shall immediately provide the text of the statements to the person proposing the measure and any others who have made written request for notification of the exact language of the statements. When the statements for a measure referred to the ballot by the legislature are filed with the secretary of state, the secretary of state shall immediately provide the text of the statements to the presiding officer of the senate, the presiding officer of the house of representatives, the prime sponsor, and any others who have made written request for notification of the exact language of the statements. (3) A person dissatisfied with the statements may appeal to the superior court of Thurston county within five days of the filing date. A copy of the petition and a notice of the appeal must be served on the secretary of state and the attorney general. The court shall examine the measure, the statements, and objections, and may hear arguments. The court shall render its decision and certify to and file with the secretary of state a statement it determines will meet the requirements of this chapter, and within the timelines identified by the secretary of state. The decision of the superior court is final, and its statement is the established explanatory statement. The appeal must be heard without costs to either party.
RCW 29A.52.112 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 52 / Section 112
RCW 29A.52.112: Top two candidates—Single county partisan office—Party or independent preference.
Status: in_force

(1) A primary is a first stage in the public process by which voters elect candidates to public office. (2) Whenever candidates for a partisan office are to be elected, the general election must be preceded by a primary conducted under this chapter. Based upon votes cast at the primary, the top two candidates will be certified as qualified to appear on the general election ballot, unless only one candidate qualifies as provided in *RCW 29A.36.170 . (3) No primary may be held for any single county partisan office to fill an unexpired term if, after the last day allowed for candidates to withdraw, only one candidate has filed for the position. (4) For partisan office, if a candidate has expressed a party preference on the declaration of candidacy, then that preference will be shown after the name of the candidate on the primary and general election ballots as set forth in rules of the secretary of state. A candidate may choose to express no party preference. Any party preferences are shown for the information of voters only and may in no way limit the options available to voters.
RCW 29A.36.020 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 36 / Section 020
RCW 29A.36.020: Constitutional measures—Ballot title—Formulation, ballot display, certification.
Status: in_force

(1) When a proposed constitutional amendment is to be submitted to the people of the state for statewide popular vote, the ballot title consists of: (a) A statement of the subject of the amendment; (b) a concise description of the amendment; and (c) a question in the form prescribed in this section. The statement of the subject of a constitutional amendment must be sufficiently broad to reflect the nature of the amendment, sufficiently precise to give notice of the amendment's subject matter, and not exceed ten words. The concise description must contain no more than thirty words, give a true and impartial description of the amendment's essential contents, clearly identify the amendment to be voted on, and not, to the extent reasonably possible, create prejudice either for or against the amendment. The ballot title for a proposed constitutional amendment must be displayed on the ballot substantially as follows: "The legislature has proposed a constitutional amendment on (statement of subject). This amendment would (concise description). Should this constitutional amendment be: Approved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . □ Rejected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . □" (2) When a proposed new constitution is submitted to the people of the state by a constitutional convention for statewide popular vote, the ballot title consists of: (a) A concise description of the new constitution; and (b) a question in the form prescribed in this section. The concise description must contain no more than thirty words, give a true and impartial description of the new constitution's essential contents, clearly identify the proposed constitution to be voted on, and not, to the extent reasonably possible, create prejudice either for or against the new constitution. The ballot title for a proposed new constitution must be displayed on the ballot substantially as follows: "The constitutional convention approved a new proposed state constitution that (concise description). Should this proposed constitution be: Approved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . □ Rejected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . □" (3) The legislature may specify the statement of subject or concise description, or both, in a constitutional amendment that it submits to the people. If the legislature fails to specify the statement of subject or concise description, or both, the attorney general shall prepare the material that was not specified. The statement of subject and concise description as so provided must be included as part of the ballot title unless changed on appeal. The attorney general shall specify the concise description for a proposed new constitution that is submitted to the people by a constitutional convention, and the concise description as so provided must be included as part of the ballot title unless changed on appeal. (4) The secretary of state shall certify to the county auditors the ballot title for a proposed constitution, constitutional amendment, or other statewide question at the same time and in the same manner as the ballot titles to initiatives and referendums.
RCW 29A.92.700 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 92 / Section 700
RCW 29A.92.700: Not applicable to certain political subdivisions.
Status: in_force

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The provisions of RCW 29A.92.005 through 29A.92.030 , 29A.92.060 through 29A.92.130 , and 29A.92.900 are not applicable to cities and towns with populations under one thousand or to school districts with K-12 full-time equivalent enrollments of less than two hundred fifty.
RCW 29A.16.070 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 16 / Section 070
RCW 29A.16.070: Precincts—Boundary changes—Registration transfer.
Status: in_force

If the boundaries of any city, township, or rural precinct are changed in the manner provided by law, the county auditor shall update the registration records of every registered voter whose place of residence is affected thereby. It shall not be necessary for any registered voter whose registration has been changed from one precinct to another, by a change of boundary, to apply to the county auditor for a transfer of registration. The county auditor shall mail a notice to each registered voter.
RCW 29A.84.530 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 530
RCW 29A.84.530: Refusing to leave voting booth.
Status: in_force

Deliberately impeding other voters from casting their votes by refusing to leave a voting booth or voting device is a misdemeanor and is subject to the penalties provided in chapter 9A.20 RCW. Election officers may provide assistance in the manner provided by RCW 29A.40.160 to any voter who requests it.
RCW 29A.84.555 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 555
RCW 29A.84.555: Unauthorized access.
Status: in_force

Any person who willfully and without authority accesses or assists another person or entity with unauthorized access to a voting center, election office, ballot counting area, ballot storage area, or any election system, or provides unauthorized access to another person or entity to a voting center, election office, ballot counting area, ballot storage area, or any election system, whether electronic or physical access, is guilty of a class C felony punishable under RCW 9A.20.021 .
RCW 29A.40.050 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 40 / Section 050
RCW 29A.40.050: Special ballots.
Status: in_force

(1) County auditors shall provide special absentee ballots to be used for state primary or state general elections. An auditor shall provide a special absentee ballot only to a registered voter who completes an application stating that she or he will be unable to vote and return a regular ballot by normal mail delivery within the period provided for regular ballots. A special absentee ballot may not be requested more than ninety days before the applicable state primary or general election. The special absentee ballot will list the offices and measures, if known, scheduled to appear on the state primary or general election ballot. The voter may use the special absentee ballot to write in the name of any eligible candidate for each office and vote on any measure. (2) The county auditor shall include a listing of any candidates who have filed before the time of the application for offices that will appear on the ballot at that primary or election and a list of any issues that have been referred to the ballot before the time of the application. (3) Write-in votes on special absentee ballots must be counted in the same manner provided by law for the counting of other write-in votes. The county auditor shall process and canvass the special absentee ballots provided under this section in the same manner as other ballots under this chapter and chapter 29A.60 RCW. (4) A voter who requests a special absentee ballot under this section may also request a regular ballot. If the regular absentee ballot is properly voted and returned, the special absentee ballot is void, and the county auditor shall reject it in whole when special absentee ballots are canvassed.
RCW 29A.64.081 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 64 / Section 081
RCW 29A.64.081: Expenses—Charges—Reimbursement by state.
Status: in_force

The canvassing board shall determine the expenses for conducting a recount of votes. (1) For a recount conducted under RCW 29A.64.011 , the cost of the recount shall be deducted from the amount deposited by the applicant for the recount at the time of filing the request for the recount, and the balance shall be returned to the applicant. If the costs of the recount exceed the deposit, the applicant shall pay the difference. No charges may be deducted by the canvassing board from the deposit for a recount if the recount changes the result of the nomination or election for which the recount was ordered. (2) For a recount conducted under RCW 29A.64.021 , for an office where the candidates filed the declarations of candidacy with the secretary of state, any legislative office, and any congressional office, the county auditor shall file an expense claim for such costs with the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall include a budget request to the legislature during the next legislative session for sufficient funds for reimbursement of all costs of the recount and shall pay all properly executed and documented vouchers to the counties within thirty days of allotment of specifically appropriated funds for this purpose. The secretary of state shall promptly notify any county that submits an incomplete or inaccurate voucher for reimbursement under this section. (3) State and federal offices are to be considered one entity for purposes of election cost proration and reimbursement.
RCW 29B.25.040 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 25 / Section 040
RCW 29B.25.040: Treasurer.
Status: in_force

(1) Each candidate, within two weeks after becoming a candidate, and each political committee, at the time it is required to file a statement of organization, shall designate and file with the commission the name and address of one legally competent individual, who may be the candidate, to serve as a treasurer. (2) A candidate, a political committee, or a treasurer may appoint as many deputy treasurers as is considered necessary and shall file the names and addresses of the deputy treasurers with the commission. (3)(a) A candidate or political committee may at any time remove a treasurer or deputy treasurer. (b) In the event of the death, resignation, removal, or change of a treasurer or deputy treasurer, the candidate or political committee shall designate and file with the commission the name and address of any successor. (4) No treasurer or deputy treasurer may be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions of this title until the treasurer's or deputy treasurer's name, address, and electronic contact information is filed with the commission.
RCW 29A.68.013 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 68 / Section 013
RCW 29A.68.013: Prevention and correction of frauds and errors—Primary, election, challenge to certification of measure.
Status: in_force

Any justice of the supreme court, judge of the court of appeals, or judge of the superior court in the proper county shall, by order, require any person charged with error, wrongful act, or neglect to forthwith correct the error, desist from the wrongful act, or perform the duty and to do as the court orders or to show cause forthwith why the error should not be corrected, the wrongful act desisted from, or the duty or order not performed, whenever it is made to appear to such justice or judge by affidavit of an elector that: (1) A wrongful act other than as provided for in RCW 29A.68.011 has been performed or is about to be performed by any election officer; or (2) Any neglect of duty on the part of an election officer other than as provided for in RCW 29A.68.011 has occurred or is about to occur; or (3) An error or omission has occurred or is about to occur in the official certification of any primary or election, including a challenge to the certification of any measure. An affidavit of an elector under this subsection shall be filed with the appropriate court no later than ten days following the official certification of the primary or election as provided in RCW 29A.60.190 , 29A.60.240 , or 29A.60.250 or, in the case of a recount, ten days after the official certification of the amended abstract as provided in RCW 29A.64.061 .
RCW 29A.80.051 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 80 / Section 051
RCW 29A.80.051: Precinct committee officer—Election—Term.
Status: in_force

The statutory requirements for filing as a candidate at the primaries apply to candidates for precinct committee officer. The office must be voted upon at the primaries, and the names of all candidates in contested races must appear under the proper party and office designations on the ballot for the primary for each even-numbered year. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes will be declared elected. The term of office of precinct committee officer is two years, commencing the first day of December following the primary.
RCW 29A.04.311 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 311
RCW 29A.04.311: Primaries.
Status: in_force

Primaries for general elections to be held in November, and the election of precinct committee officers, must be held on the first Tuesday of the preceding August.
RCW 29A.68.100 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 68 / Section 100
RCW 29A.68.100: Illegal votes—List required for testimony.
Status: in_force

No testimony may be received as to any illegal votes unless the party contesting the election delivers to the opposite party, at least three days before trial, a written list of the number of illegal votes and by whom given, that the contesting party intends to prove at the trial. No testimony may be received as to any illegal votes, except as to such as are specified in the list.
RCW 29A.12.180 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 12 / Section 180
RCW 29A.12.180: Disclosure of security breaches—Use of intrusion detection system.
Status: in_force

(1) A manufacturer or distributor of a voting system or component of a voting system that is certified by the secretary of state under RCW 29A.12.020 shall disclose to the secretary of state and attorney general any breach of the security of its system immediately following discovery of the breach if: (a) The breach has, or is reasonably likely to have, compromised the security, confidentiality, or integrity of an election in any state; or (b) Personal information of residents in any state was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person as a result of the breach and the personal information was not secured. For purposes of this subsection, "personal information" has the meaning given in RCW 19.255.005 . (2) Every county must install and maintain an intrusion detection system that passively monitors its network for malicious traffic 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year by a qualified and trained security team with access to cyberincident response personnel who can assist the county in the event of a malicious attack. The system must support the unique security requirements of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and possess the ability to receive cyberintelligent threat updates to stay ahead of evolving attack patterns. (3) A county auditor or county information technology director of any county, participating in the shared voter registration system operated by the secretary of state under RCW 29A.08.105 and 29A.08.125 , or operating a voting system or component of a voting system that is certified by the secretary of state under RCW 29A.12.020 shall disclose to the secretary of state and attorney general any malicious activity or breach of the security of any of its information technology (IT) systems immediately following discovery if: (a) Malicious activity was detected by an information technology intrusion detection system (IDS), malicious domain blocking and reporting system, or endpoint security software, used by the county, the county auditor, or the county election office; (b) A breach has, or is reasonably likely to have, compromised the security, confidentiality, or integrity of election systems, information technology systems used by the county staff to manage and support the administration of elections, or peripheral information technology systems that support the auditor's office in the office's day-to-day activities; (c) The breach has, or is reasonably likely to have, compromised the security, confidentiality, or integrity of an election within the state; or (d) Personal information of residents in any state was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person as a result of the breach and the personal information was not secured. For purposes of this subsection, "personal information" has the meaning given in RCW 19.255.005 . (4) A manufacturer of, distributor of, or organization contracted to provide support to, the voter registration database system required by RCW 29A.08.125 , the official voter list required by RCW 29A.08.105 , or systems or components of the voter registration system used by the secretary of state shall disclose to the secretary of state and attorney general any security breach of any of that organization's systems immediately following discovery of the breach if: (a) The breach has, or is reasonably likely to have, compromised the security, confidentiality, or integrity of an election in any state; or (b) Personal information of residents in any state was, or is reasonably believed to have been, acquired by an unauthorized person as a result of the breach and the personal information was not secured. For purposes of this subsection, "personal information" has the meaning given in RCW 19.255.005 . (5) For purposes of this section: (a) "Malicious activity" means an external or internal threat that is designed to damage, disrupt, or compromise an information technology network, as well as the hardware and applications that reside on the network, thereby impacting performance, data integrity, and the confidentiality of data on the network. Threats include viruses, ransomware, trojan horses, worms, malware, data loss, or the disabling or removing of information technology security systems. (b) "Security breach" means a breach of the election system, information technology systems used to administer and support the election process, or associated data where the system or associated data has been penetrated, accessed, or manipulated by an unauthorized person. The definition of breach includes all unauthorized access to systems by external or internal personnel or organizations, including personnel employed by a county or the state providing access to systems that have the potential to lead to a breach. (6) Notification under this section must be made in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay.
RCW 29A.60.168 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 60 / Section 168
RCW 29A.60.168: Voter signature verification—Community outreach plan.
Status: in_force

(1) Each county auditor shall develop a community outreach plan to educate voters about signature verification requirements and the importance of ballot signatures matching signatures in voter registration files. The outreach plan shall include materials for publication on the county auditor's website and distribution in communities throughout the county that clearly explain signature verification requirements and the process of updating signatures in voter registration files or curing challenged ballots under RCW 29A.60.165 . Materials prepared under the outreach plan should be written clearly and in plain language. Materials must be produced in English, Spanish, and any other language required by the federal voting rights act. Materials prepared as part of the outreach plan should be informed by the data collected in the survey required by RCW 29A.60.300 and should target groups with higher rates of ballot rejection. The secretary of state may assist in preparation of materials for a county's outreach plan, including coordinating between multiple counties and providing information about statewide requirements. (2) County auditors are encouraged to establish partnerships with trusted community organizations as part of the community outreach plan to maximize resources.
RCW 29A.92.080 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 92 / Section 080
RCW 29A.92.080: Voter challenge of electoral system—Filing of action—Multiple challenges—Reimbursement of costs.
Status: in_force

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(1) Any voter who resides in the political subdivision, organization whose roster of members and volunteers includes a voter who resides in the political subdivision, or tribe located at least in part in the political subdivision may file an action under this chapter if, 90 days after a political subdivision receives notice of a challenge to its electoral system under RCW 29A.92.060 , the political subdivision has not obtained a court order stating that it has adopted a remedy in compliance with RCW 29A.92.020 . (2) If a political subdivision has received two or more notices containing materially different proposed remedies, the political subdivision shall work in good faith with the persons to implement a remedy that provides the protected class or classes identified in the notices an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. If the political subdivision adopts one of the remedies offered, or a different remedy that takes multiple notices into account, the political subdivision shall seek a court order acknowledging that the political subdivision's remedy is reasonably necessary to avoid a violation of RCW 29A.92.020 . The persons, organizations, or tribes who submitted the notice may support or oppose such an order, and may obtain public records to do so. The political subdivision must provide all political, census, and demographic data and any analysis of that data used to develop the remedy in its filings seeking the court order and with any documents made public. All facts and reasonable inferences shall be viewed in the light most favorable to those opposing the political subdivision's proposed remedy at this stage. There shall be a rebuttable presumption that the court will decline to approve the political subdivision's proposed remedy at this stage. (3) If the court concludes that the political subdivision's remedy complies with RCW 29A.92.020 , an action under this chapter may not be brought against that political subdivision for four years by any party so long as the political subdivision does not enact a change to or deviation from the remedy during this four-year period that would otherwise give rise to an action under this chapter. (4)(a) If the court issues an order under subsection (2) of this section, the persons, organizations, or tribes who sent notices may make a demand to the political subdivision for reimbursement of the costs incurred in conducting the research necessary to send the notices. A demand made under this subsection must: (i) Be in writing; (ii) Be received by the political subdivision within 30 days of the adoption of the new electoral system; and (iii) Include financial documentation, such as a detailed invoice for demographic services, that supports the demand. The political subdivision may request additional documentation if the documentation provided is insufficient for the political subdivision to corroborate the claimed costs. (b) The political subdivision shall, within 60 days of receiving the demand, reimburse the reasonable costs of the persons, organizations, or tribes who sent the notices, not to exceed $50,000.
RCW 29B.10.330 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 330
RCW 29B.10.330: Legislation.
Status: in_force

"Legislation" means bills, resolutions, motions, amendments, nominations, and other matters pending or proposed in either house of the state legislature, and includes any other matter that may be the subject of action by either house or any committee of the legislature and all bills and resolutions that, having passed both houses, are pending approval by the governor.
RCW 29A.92.710 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 92 / Section 710
RCW 29A.92.710: Other laws superseded.
Status: in_force

This chapter supersedes other state laws and local ordinances to the extent that those state laws or ordinances would otherwise restrict a jurisdiction's ability to comply with this chapter.
RCW 29A.72.160 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 72 / Section 160
RCW 29A.72.160: Petitions—Time for filing.
Status: in_force

The time for submitting initiative or referendum petitions to the secretary of state for filing is as follows: (1) A referendum petition ordering and directing that the whole or some part or parts of an act passed by the legislature be referred to the people for their approval or rejection at the next ensuing general election or a special election ordered by the legislature, must be submitted not more than ninety days after the final adjournment of the session of the legislature which passed the act; (2) An initiative petition proposing a measure to be submitted to the people for their approval or rejection at the next ensuing general election, must be submitted not less than four months before the date of such election; (3) An initiative petition proposing a measure to be submitted to the legislature at its next ensuing regular session must be submitted not less than ten days before the commencement of the session.
RCW 29A.56.470 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 470
RCW 29A.56.470: Election of delegates—Administration.
Status: in_force

The election of delegates to the convention must as far as practicable, be administered, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, in the same manner as a general election under the election laws of this state.
RCW 29A.56.250 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 250
RCW 29A.56.250: Conduct of election—Contents of ballot.
Status: in_force

The special election for the recall of an officer shall be conducted in the same manner as a special election for that jurisdiction. The county auditor shall conduct the recall election. The ballots at any recall election shall contain a full, true, and correct copy of the ballot synopsis of the charge and the officer's response to the charge if one has been filed.
RCW 29A.24.201 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 24 / Section 201
RCW 29A.24.201: Lapse of election when no filing for single positions—Effect.
Status: in_force

If after both the normal filing period and special three-day filing period as provided by RCW 29A.24.171 and 29A.24.181 have passed, no candidate has filed for any single city, town, or district position to be filled, the election for such position shall be deemed lapsed, the office deemed stricken from the ballot and no write-in votes counted. In such instance, the incumbent occupying such position shall remain in office and continue to serve until a successor is elected at the next election when such positions are voted upon.
RCW 29A.92.100 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 92 / Section 100
RCW 29A.92.100: Trial schedule—Statute of limitations—Secrecy of vote—Plaintiff bond.
Status: in_force

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(1) In an action filed pursuant to this chapter, the trial court shall set a trial to be held no later than one year after the filing of a complaint, and shall set a discovery and motions calendar accordingly. (2) For purposes of any applicable statute of limitations, a cause of action under this chapter arises every time there is an election for any members of the governing body of the political subdivision. (3) The plaintiff's constitutional right to the secrecy of the plaintiff's vote is preserved and is not waived by the filing of an action pursuant to this chapter, and the filing is not subject to discovery or disclosure. (4) In seeking a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction, a plaintiff shall not be required to post a bond or any other security in order to secure such equitable relief. (5) No notice may be submitted to any political subdivision pursuant to this chapter before July 19, 2018.
RCW 29A.04.061 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 061
RCW 29A.04.061: Elector.
Status: in_force

"Elector" means any person who possesses all of the qualifications to vote under Article VI of the state Constitution, including persons who are seventeen years of age at the primary election or presidential primary election but who will be eighteen years of age by the general election.
RCW 29A.84.010 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 010
RCW 29A.84.010: Voting, registration irregularities.
Status: in_force

(1) A county auditor who suspects a person of fraudulent voter registration, vote tampering, or irregularities in voting shall transmit his or her suspicions and observations without delay to the canvassing board. (2) The county auditor shall make a good faith effort to contact the person in question without delay. If the county auditor is unable to contact the person, or if, after contacting the person, the auditor still suspects fraudulent voter registration, vote tampering, or irregularities in voting, the auditor shall refer the issue to the county prosecuting attorney to determine if further action is warranted. (3) When a complaint providing information concerning fraudulent voter registration, vote tampering, or irregularities in voting is presented to the office of the prosecuting attorney, that office shall file charges in all cases where warranted.
RCW 29A.80.061 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 80 / Section 061
RCW 29A.80.061: Legislative district chair—Election—Term—Removal.
Status: in_force

Within 45 days after the statewide general election in even-numbered years, the county chair of each major political party shall call separate meetings of all elected precinct committee officers in each legislative district for the purpose of selecting a legislative district chair in such district. The district chair shall hold office until the next legislative district reorganizational meeting two years later, or until a successor is selected. The legislative district chair may be removed only by the majority vote of the elected precinct committee officers in the chair's district.
RCW 29A.08.340 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 340
RCW 29A.08.340: Registration or update of registration with driver's license or identification card application or renewal.
Status: in_force

(1) A person not performing an automatic voter registration transaction under RCW 29A.08.315 may register to vote or update the person's existing voter registration when applying for or renewing a driver's license or identification card under chapter 46.20 RCW. (2) To register to vote or update a registration, the applicant shall provide the information required by RCW 29A.08.010 . (3) The driver licensing agent shall record that the applicant has requested to register to vote or update a voter registration.
RCW 29A.72.120 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 72 / Section 120
RCW 29A.72.120: Petitions to people—Form.
Status: in_force

Petitions for proposing measures for submission to the people for their approval or rejection at the next ensuing general election must be substantially in the following form: The warning prescribed by RCW 29A.72.140 ; followed by: INITIATIVE PETITION FOR SUBMISSION TO THE PEOPLE To the Honorable . . . . . ., Secretary of State of the State of Washington: We, the undersigned citizens and legal voters of the State of Washington, respectfully direct that the proposed measure known as Initiative Measure No. . . . ., entitled (here insert the established ballot title of the measure), a full, true and correct copy of which is printed on the reverse side of this petition, be submitted to the legal voters of the State of Washington for their approval or rejection at the general election to be held on the . . . . . day of November, (year); and each of us for himself or herself says: I have personally signed this petition; I am a legal voter of the State of Washington, in the city (or town) and county written after my name, my residence address is correctly stated, and I have knowingly signed this petition only once. The following declaration must be printed on the reverse side of the petition: I, . . . . . . . . . . . ., swear or affirm under penalty of law that I circulated this sheet of the foregoing petition, and that, to the best of my knowledge, every person who signed this sheet of the foregoing petition knowingly and without any compensation or promise of compensation willingly signed his or her true name and that the information provided therewith is true and correct. I further acknowledge that under chapter 29A.84 RCW, forgery of signatures on this petition constitutes a class C felony, and that offering any consideration or gratuity to any person to induce them to sign a petition is a gross misdemeanor, such violations being punishable by fine or imprisonment or both. RCW 9A.46.020 applies to any conduct constituting harassment against a petition signature gatherer. This penalty does not preclude the victim from seeking any other remedy otherwise available under law. The petition must include a place for each petitioner to sign and print his or her name, and the address, city, and county at which he or she is registered to vote.
RCW 29A.12.160 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 12 / Section 160
RCW 29A.12.160: Blind or visually impaired voter accessibility.
Status: in_force

(1) At each voting center, at least one voting unit certified by the secretary of state shall provide access to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. (2) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (a) "Accessible" includes receiving, using, selecting, and manipulating voter data and controls. (b) "Nonvisual" includes synthesized speech, Braille, and other output methods. (c) "Blind and visually impaired" excludes persons who are both deaf and blind.
RCW 29B.20.090 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 20 / Section 090
RCW 29B.20.090: Certification of reports.
Status: in_force

Every report and statement required to be filed under this title shall identify the person preparing it, and shall be certified as complete and correct, both by the person preparing it and by the person on whose behalf it is filed.
RCW 29A.12.010 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 12 / Section 010
RCW 29A.12.010: Authority for use.
Status: in_force

At any primary or election in any county, votes may be cast, registered, recorded, or counted by means of voting systems that have been approved under RCW 29A.12.020 .
RCW 29A.64.070 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 64 / Section 070
RCW 29A.64.070: Limitation.
Status: in_force

After the original count, canvass, and certification of results, the votes cast in any single precinct may not be recounted and the results recertified more than twice.
RCW 29A.56.031 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 031
RCW 29A.56.031: Submission of candidates by parties.
Status: in_force

(1) Each party must determine which candidates are to be placed on the presidential primary ballot for that party. The chair of each party must submit to the secretary of state the names of the candidates to appear on the ballot for that party no later than sixty-three days before the presidential primary. Once submitted, changes must not be made to the candidates that will appear on the ballot. (2) No later than the seventh day before the presidential nomination primary, the chair of each party must submit to the secretary of state the names of write-in candidates, if any, to be counted for that party.
RCW 29A.08.355 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 355
RCW 29A.08.355: Automatic registration and automatic sign-up to register—Enhanced driver's licenses and identicards.
Status: in_force

(1) The department of licensing must collect and transmit to the secretary of state voter registration information for all citizens applying for, renewing, or updating an enhanced driver's license or enhanced identicard by automated process at the time of registration, renewal, or change of address if: (a) The person meets requirements for voter registration; (b) The person has received or is renewing an enhanced driver's license or enhanced identicard issued under RCW 46.20.202 or is changing the address for an existing enhanced driver's license or enhanced identicard pursuant to RCW 46.20.205 ; and (c) The department of licensing record associated with the applicant contains: (i) The data required to determine whether the applicant meets requirements for voter registration under RCW 29A.08.010 ; (ii) Other information as required by the secretary of state; and (iii) A signature image. (2) The department of licensing must collect and transmit to the secretary of state voter registration information for all citizens applying for, renewing, or updating an enhanced driver's license or enhanced identicard 16 or 17 years of age if: (a) The person meets requirements to sign up to register to vote; (b) The person has received or is renewing an enhanced driver's license or enhanced identicard issued under RCW 46.20.202 or is changing the address for an existing enhanced driver's license or enhanced identicard pursuant to RCW 46.20.205 ; and (c) The department of licensing record associated with the applicant contains: (i) The data required to determine whether the applicant meets the requirements for voter registration under RCW 29A.08.210 , other than age; (ii) Other information as required by the secretary of state; and (iii) A signature image.
RCW 29A.04.216 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 216
RCW 29A.04.216: County auditor—Duties—Exceptions.
Status: in_force

The county auditor of each county shall be ex officio the supervisor of all primaries and elections, general or special, and it shall be the county auditor's duty to provide places for holding such primaries and elections; to provide the supplies and materials necessary for the conduct of elections; and to publish and post notices of calling such primaries and elections in the manner provided by law. The auditor shall also apportion to the county, each city, town, or district, and to the state of Washington, its share of the expense of such primaries and elections. This section does not apply to general or special elections for any city, town, or district that is not subject to RCW 29A.04.321 and 29A.04.330 , but all such elections must be held and conducted at the time, in the manner, and by the officials (with such notice, requirements for filing for office, and certifications by local officers) as provided and required by the laws governing such elections. State and federal offices are to be considered one entity for purposes of election cost proration and reimbursement.
RCW 29A.08.610 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 610
RCW 29A.08.610: Dual registration or voting detection.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state shall conduct an ongoing list maintenance program designed to detect persons registered in more than one county or voting in more than one county in an election. This program must be applied uniformly throughout the state and must be nondiscriminatory in its application. The office of the secretary of state shall search the statewide voter registration list to find registered voters with the same date of birth and similar names. Once the potential duplicate registrations are identified, the secretary of state shall refer the potential duplicate registrations to the appropriate county auditors, who shall compare the signatures on each voter registration record and, after confirming that a duplicate registration exists properly resolve the duplication. If a voter is suspected of voting in two or more counties in an election, the county auditors in each county shall cooperate without delay to determine the voter's county of residence. The county auditor of the county of residence of the voter suspected of voting in two or more counties shall take action under RCW 29A.84.010 without delay.
RCW 29A.12.040 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 12 / Section 040
RCW 29A.12.040: Independent evaluation.
Status: in_force

(1) The secretary of state may rely on the results of independent design, engineering, and performance evaluations in the examination under RCW 29A.12.020 if the source and scope of these independent evaluations are specified by rule. (2) The secretary of state may contract with experts in mechanical or electrical engineering or data processing to assist in examining a voting system or component. The manufacturer or distributor who has submitted a voting system for testing under RCW 29A.12.030 shall pay the secretary of state a deposit to reimburse the cost of any contract for consultation under this section and for any other unrecoverable costs associated with the examination of a voting system or component by the manufacturer or distributor who submitted the voting system or component for examination.
RCW 29A.08.120 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 120
RCW 29A.08.120: Registration by mail.
Status: in_force

Any elector of this state may register to vote by mail under this title.
RCW 29A.12.085 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 12 / Section 085
RCW 29A.12.085: Paper record.
Status: in_force

Beginning on January 1, 2006, all direct recording electronic voting devices must produce a paper record of each vote that may be accepted or rejected by the voter before finalizing his or her vote. This record may not be removed from the voting center, and must be human readable without an interface and machine readable for counting purposes. If the device is programmed to display the ballot in multiple languages, the paper record produced must be printed in the language used by the voter. Rejected records must either be destroyed or marked in order to clearly identify the record as rejected. Paper records produced by direct recording electronic voting devices are subject to all the requirements of chapter 29A.60 RCW for ballot handling, preservation, reconciliation, transit, and storage. The paper records must be preserved in the same manner and for the same period of time as ballots.
RCW 29A.24.311 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 24 / Section 311
RCW 29A.24.311: Write-in voting—Candidates, declaration.
Status: in_force

(1) Any person who desires to be a write-in candidate shall file a declaration of candidacy with the officer designated in RCW 29A.24.070 not later than 8:00 p.m. on the day of the primary or election. A write-in declaration of candidacy is timely if filed by this deadline. No votes shall be counted for a write-in candidate who has not properly filed a write-in declaration of candidacy. (2) Votes cast for write-in candidates who have filed such declarations of candidacy need only specify the name of the candidate in the appropriate location on the ballot in order to be counted. (3) No person may file as a write-in candidate where: (a) At a general election, the person attempting to file either filed as a write-in candidate for the same office at the preceding primary or the person's name was printed on the ballot for the same office at the preceding primary; (b) The person attempting to file as a write-in candidate has already filed a valid write-in declaration for that primary or election; (c) The name of the person attempting to file is already printed on the ballot as a candidate for another office, unless the other office is precinct committee officer or a temporary elected position, such as charter review board member or freeholder; (d) The office filed for is precinct committee officer. (4) The declaration of candidacy shall be similar to that required by RCW 29A.24.031 . No write-in candidate filing under this section may be included in any voters' pamphlet produced under chapter 29A.32 RCW unless that candidate qualifies to have his or her name printed on the general election ballot. The legislative authority of any jurisdiction producing a local voters' pamphlet under chapter 29A.32 RCW may provide, by ordinance, for the inclusion of write-in candidates in such pamphlets.
RCW 29A.32.260 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 32 / Section 260
RCW 29A.32.260: Mailing.
Status: in_force

As soon as practicable before the primary, special election, or general election, the county auditor shall mail the local voters' pamphlet to every residence in each jurisdiction within the county that is participating in the associated primary or election and for which election information is included in the pamphlet. The county auditor may choose to mail the pamphlet to each registered voter in each jurisdiction within the county that is participating in the associated primary or election and for which election information is included in the pamphlet, if in the auditor's judgment, a more economical and effective distribution of the pamphlet would result. The county auditor shall either mail or send a printable electronic version of the state and local voters' pamphlets to any service or overseas voter registered in the jurisdiction who has requested them.
RCW 29B.10.190 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 190
RCW 29B.10.190: Election.
Status: in_force

"Election" includes any primary, general, or special election for public office and any election in which a ballot proposition is submitted to the voters. An election in which the qualifications for voting include other than those requirements set forth in Article VI, section 1 (Amendment 63) of the Constitution of the state of Washington shall not be considered an election for purposes of this title.
RCW 29A.08.220 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 220
RCW 29A.08.220: Application—Format.
Status: in_force

(1) The secretary of state shall specify by rule the format of all voter registration applications. These applications shall be compatible with existing voter registration records. An applicant for voter registration shall be required to complete only one application and to provide the required information other than the applicant's signature no more than one time. These applications shall also contain instructions for the voter to use the form to update information related to the voter's voter registration. (2) Any application format specified by the secretary for use in registering to vote in state and local elections shall satisfy the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-31) and the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-252) for registering to vote in federal elections.
RCW 29A.04.070 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 070
RCW 29A.04.070: Future voter.
Status: in_force

"Future voter" means a United States citizen and Washington state resident, age sixteen or seventeen, who has provided information related to voter registration to the appropriate state agencies.
RCW 29A.80.031 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 80 / Section 031
RCW 29A.80.031: Precinct committee officer.
Status: in_force

If a vacancy occurs in the office of precinct committee officer by reason of death, resignation, or disqualification of the incumbent, or because of failure to elect, the respective county chair of the county central committee shall fill the vacancy by appointment. However, in a legislative district having a majority of its precincts in a county with a population of one million or more, the appointment may be made only upon the recommendation of the legislative district chair. The person so appointed must have the same qualifications as candidates when filing for election to the office for that precinct. When a vacancy in the office of precinct committee officer exists because of failure to elect at a state primary, the vacancy may not be filled until after the organization meeting of the county central committee and the new county chair has been selected as provided by RCW 29A.80.030 .
RCW 29A.04.055 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 055
RCW 29A.04.055: Election officer.
Status: in_force

"Election officer" includes any officer who has a duty to perform relating to elections under the provisions of any statute, charter, or ordinance.
RCW 29B.10.440 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 440
RCW 29B.10.440: Public office.
Status: in_force

"Public office" means any federal, state, judicial, county, city, town, school district, port district, special district, or other state political subdivision elective office.
RCW 29B.40.120 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 40 / Section 120
RCW 29B.40.120: Contributions by political committees to political committees.
Status: in_force

A political committee may make a contribution to another political committee only when the contributing political committee has received contributions of ten dollars or more each from at least 10 persons registered to vote in Washington state.
RCW 29A.60.070 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 60 / Section 070
RCW 29A.60.070: Returns, precinct and cumulative—Delivery.
Status: in_force

The county auditor shall produce cumulative and precinct returns for each primary and election and deliver them to the canvassing board for verification and certification. The precinct and cumulative returns of any primary or election are public records under chapter 42.56 RCW. Cumulative returns for state offices, judicial offices, the United States senate, and congress must be electronically transmitted to the secretary of state immediately.
RCW 29A.24.010 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 24 / Section 010
RCW 29A.24.010: Officials to designate position numbers, when—Effect.
Status: in_force

Not less than thirty days before the first day for filing declarations of candidacy under RCW 29A.24.050 for legislative, judicial, county, city, town, or district office, where more than one position with the same name, district number, or title will be voted upon at the succeeding election, the filing officer shall designate the positions to be filled by number. The positions so designated shall be dealt with as separate offices for all election purposes. With the exception of the office of justice of the supreme court, the position numbers shall be assigned, whenever possible, to reflect the position numbers that were used to designate the same positions at the last full-term election for those offices.
RCW 29A.04.520 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 520
RCW 29A.04.520: Appeals.
Status: in_force

The board created in RCW 29A.04.510 shall review appeals filed under RCW 29A.04.550 or 29A.04.570 . A decision of the board regarding the appeal must be supported by not less than a majority of the members appointed to the board. A decision of the board regarding an appeal filed under RCW 29A.04.570 concerning an election review conducted under that section is final. If a decision of the board regarding an appeal filed under RCW 29A.04.550 includes a recommendation that a certificate be issued, the secretary of state, upon the recommendation of the board, shall issue the certificate.
RCW 29A.04.013 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 013
RCW 29A.04.013: Canvassing.
Status: in_force

"Canvassing" means the process of examining ballots or groups of ballots, subtotals, and cumulative totals in order to determine the official returns of a primary, special, or general election and includes the tabulation of any votes that were not previously tabulated.
RCW 29A.92.010 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 92 / Section 010
RCW 29A.92.010: Definitions.
Status: in_force

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The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise. In applying these definitions and other terms in this chapter, courts may rely on relevant federal case law for guidance. (1) "At large election" means any of the following methods of electing members of the governing body of a political subdivision: (a) One in which the voters of the entire jurisdiction elect the members to the governing body; (b) One in which the candidates are required to reside within given areas of the jurisdiction and the voters of the entire jurisdiction elect the members to the governing body; or (c) One that combines the criteria in (a) and (b) of this subsection or one that combines at large with district-based elections. (2) "Cohesive" means that members of a group tend to prefer the same candidates or other electoral choices. (3) "District-based elections" means a method of electing members to the governing body of a political subdivision in which the candidate must reside within an election district that is a divisible part of the political subdivision and is elected only by voters residing within that election district. (4) "Polarized voting" means voting in which there is a difference in the choice of candidates or other electoral choices that are preferred by voters in a protected class or a coalition of protected classes, and in the choice of candidates and electoral choices that are preferred by voters in the rest of the electorate. (5) "Political subdivision" means any county, city, town, school district, fire protection district, port district, or public utility district, but does not include the state. (6) "Protected class" means a class of voters who are members of a race, color, or language minority group in the state of Washington, as this class is referenced and defined in the federal voting rights act, 52 U.S.C. 10301 et seq.
RCW 29A.84.040 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 040
RCW 29A.84.040: Political advertising, removing or defacing.
Status: in_force

A person who removes or defaces lawfully placed political advertising including yard signs or billboards without authorization is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable to the same extent as a misdemeanor that is punishable under RCW 9A.20.021 . The defacement or removal of each item constitutes a separate violation.
RCW 29A.84.150 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 150
RCW 29A.84.150: Misuse, alteration of registration database.
Status: in_force

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Any state or local election officer, or a designee, who has access to any county or statewide voter registration database who knowingly uses or alters information in the database inconsistent with the performance of his or her duties is guilty of a class C felony, punishable under RCW 9A.20.021 .
RCW 29A.08.720 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 720
RCW 29A.08.720: Registration, voting records—As public records—Information furnished—Restrictions, confidentiality.
Status: in_force

(1) In the case of voter registration records received through the health benefit exchange, the department of licensing, or an agency designated under RCW 29A.08.310 , the identity of the office or agency at which any particular individual registered to vote must be used only for voter registration purposes, is not available for public inspection, and shall not be disclosed to the public. Any record of a particular individual's choice not to register to vote at an office of the department of licensing or a state agency designated under RCW 29A.08.310 is not available for public inspection and any information regarding such a choice by a particular individual shall not be disclosed to the public. (2) Disclosure of information on individuals under the age of 18 is subject to RCW 29A.08.725 . (3)(a) Subject to the restrictions of RCW 29A.08.710 and 40.24.060 , and (b) of this subsection, precinct lists and current lists of registered voters are public records and must be made available for public inspection and copying under such reasonable rules and regulations as the county auditor or secretary of state may prescribe. The county auditor or secretary of state shall promptly furnish current lists of registered voters in his or her possession, at actual reproduction cost, to any person requesting such information. The lists shall not be used for the purpose of mailing or delivering any advertisement or offer for any property, establishment, organization, product, or service or for the purpose of mailing or delivering any solicitation for money, services, or anything of value. However, the lists and labels may be used for any political purpose. The county auditor or secretary of state must provide a copy of RCW 29A.08.740 to the person requesting the material that is released under this section. (b) Disclosure of information on individuals under the age of 18 is subject to RCW 29A.08.725 . (4) For the purposes of this section, "political purpose" means a purpose concerned with the support of or opposition to any candidate for any partisan or nonpartisan office or concerned with the support of or opposition to any ballot proposition or issue. "Political purpose" includes, but is not limited to, such activities as the advertising for or against any candidate or ballot measure or the solicitation of financial support.
RCW 29A.08.123 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 123
RCW 29A.08.123: Registration electronically.
Status: in_force

(1) A person qualified to vote who has a valid: (a) Washington state driver's license; (b) Washington state identification card; (c) Washington state learner's permit; (d) Current Washington tribal identification; or (e) Social security number, may submit a voter registration application electronically on the secretary of state's website, and provide either the state issued identification number, the tribal identification number, or the last four digits of the person's social security number. (2) The applicant must attest to the truth of the information provided on the application and confirm the applicant's United States citizenship by reviewing the registration oath online and affirmatively accepting the information as true. (3) For applicants using Washington state issued identification, the applicant must affirmatively assent to use of the applicant's driver's license or state identification card signature for voter registration purposes. (4) For applicants who are not using Washington state issued identification, the applicant must submit a signature image by either submitting a signature image to the secretary of state, or submitting a signature image as part of the confirmation notice process. (5) A voter registration application submitted electronically is otherwise considered a registration by mail. (6) For each electronic application, the secretary of state must obtain a digital copy of the applicant's driver's license or state identification card signature from the department of licensing, the voter, or tribal identification issuing authority. (7) The secretary of state may employ additional security measures to ensure the accuracy and integrity of voter registration applications submitted electronically. (8) The secretary of state may employ an application programming interface to allow a person to securely submit a voter registration application electronically to the secretary of state through the website of a government agency or institution of higher learning. In order to facilitate an electronic application under this subsection, a government agency or institution of higher learning must be approved under a process designed by the secretary of state.
RCW 29A.40.070 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 40 / Section 070
RCW 29A.40.070: Date ballots mailed—Replacement ballots.
Status: in_force

(1) Except where a recount or litigation is pending, the county auditor must mail ballots to each voter at least eighteen days before each primary or election, and as soon as possible for all subsequent registration changes. (2) Except where a recount or litigation is pending, the county auditor must mail ballots to each service and overseas voter at least thirty days before each special election, and at least forty-five days before each primary or general election, or any special election that involves federal office. A request for a ballot made by an overseas or service voter after that day must be processed immediately. (3) A registered voter may obtain a replacement ballot if the ballot is destroyed, spoiled, lost, or not received by the voter. The voter may obtain the ballot by telephone request, by mail, electronically, or in person. The county auditor shall keep a record of each request for a replacement ballot. (4) Each county auditor shall certify to the office of the secretary of state the dates the ballots were mailed, or the reason and date the ballots will be mailed if the ballots were not mailed timely. (5) Failure to mail ballots as prescribed in this section does not by itself provide a basis for an election contest or other legal challenge to the results of a primary, general election, or special election.
RCW 29A.84.410 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 410
RCW 29A.84.410: Unlawful appropriation, printing, or distribution.
Status: in_force

Any person who is retained or employed by any officer authorized by the laws of this state to procure the printing of any official ballot or who is engaged in printing official ballots is guilty of a gross misdemeanor if the person knowingly: (1) Appropriates any official ballot to himself or herself; or (2) Gives or delivers any official ballot to or permits any official ballot to be taken by any person other than the officer authorized by law to receive it; or (3) Prints or causes to be printed any official ballot: (a) In any other form than that prescribed by law or as directed by the officer authorized to procure the printing thereof; or (b) with any other names thereon or with the names spelled otherwise than as directed by such officer, or the names or printing thereon arranged in any other way than that authorized and directed by law. A gross misdemeanor under this section is punishable to the same extent as a gross misdemeanor that is punishable under RCW 9A.20.021 .
RCW 29B.60.050 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 60 / Section 050
RCW 29B.60.050: Limitation on actions.
Status: in_force

Except as provided in RCW 29B.60.060 (4), any action brought under the provisions of this title must be commenced within five years after the date when the violation occurred.
RCW 29A.84.420 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 420
RCW 29A.84.420: Unauthorized examination of ballots, election materials—Revealing information.
Status: in_force

(1) It is a gross misdemeanor for a person to examine, or assist another to examine, any voter record, ballot, or any other state or local government official election material if the person, without lawful authority, conducts the examination: (a) For the purpose of identifying the name of a voter and how the voter voted; or (b) For the purpose of determining how a voter, whose name is known to the person, voted; or (c) For the purpose of identifying the name of the voter who voted in a manner known to the person. (2) Any person who reveals to another information which the person ascertained in violation of subsection (1) of this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. (3) A gross misdemeanor under this section is punishable to the same extent as a gross misdemeanor that is punishable under RCW 9A.20.021 .
RCW 29B.40.040 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 40 / Section 040
RCW 29B.40.040: Contributions.
Status: in_force

(1) Contributions to candidates for state office made and received before December 3, 1992, are considered to be contributions under RCW 29B.20.050 , 29B.40.020 through 29B.40.040 , 29B.40.140 through 29B.40.230 , 29B.40.240 , 29B.45.020 , and 29B.45.030 . Monetary contributions that exceed the contribution limitations and that have not been spent by the recipient of the contribution by December 3, 1992, must be disposed of in accordance with RCW 29B.40.090 . (2) Contributions to other candidates subject to the contribution limits of this title made and received before June 7, 2006, are considered to be contributions under RCW 29B.20.050 , 29B.40.020 through 29B.40.040 , 29B.40.140 through 29B.40.230 , 29B.40.240 , 29B.45.020 , and 29B.45.030 . Contributions that exceed the contribution limitations and that have not been spent by the recipient of the contribution by June 7, 2006, must be disposed of in accordance with RCW 29B.40.090 except for subsections (6) and (7) of that section.
RCW 29B.25.080 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 25 / Section 080
RCW 29B.25.080: Fund-raising activities—Alternative reporting method.
Status: in_force

(1) Fund-raising activities meeting the standards of subsection (2) of this section may be reported in accordance with the provisions of this section in lieu of reporting in accordance with RCW 29B.25.090 . (2) Standards: (a) The activity consists of one or more of the following: (i) A sale of goods or services sold at a reasonable approximation of the fair market value of each item or service; or (ii) A gambling operation that is licensed, conducted, or operated in accordance with the provisions of chapter 9.46 RCW; or (iii) A gathering where food and beverages are purchased and the price of admission or the per person charge for the food and beverages is no more than twenty-five dollars; or (iv) A concert, dance, theater performance, or similar entertainment event and the price of admission is no more than twenty-five dollars; or (v) An auction or similar sale for which the total fair market value or cost of items donated by any person is no more than fifty dollars; and (b) No person responsible for receiving money at the fund-raising activity knowingly accepts payments from a single person at or from such an activity to the candidate or committee aggregating more than fifty dollars unless the name and address of the person making the payment, together with the amount paid to the candidate or committee, are disclosed in the report filed pursuant to subsection (6) of this section; and (c) Any other standards established by rule of the commission to prevent frustration of the purposes of this title. (3) All funds received from a fund-raising activity that conforms with subsection (2) of this section must be deposited in the depository within five business days of receipt by the treasurer or deputy treasurer. (4) At the time reports are required under RCW 29B.25.090 , the treasurer or deputy treasurer making the deposit shall file with the commission a report of the fund-raising activity which must contain the following information: (a) The date of the activity; (b) A precise description of the fund-raising methods used in the activity; and (c) The total amount of cash receipts from persons, each of whom paid no more than fifty dollars. (5) The treasurer or deputy treasurer shall certify the report is correct. (6) The treasurer shall report pursuant to RCW 29B.25.090 and 29B.25.100 : (a) The name and address and the amount contributed by each person contributing goods or services with a fair market value of more than fifty dollars to a fund-raising activity reported under subsection (4) of this section; and (b) The name and address and the amount paid by each person whose identity can be ascertained, who made a contribution to the candidate or committee aggregating more than fifty dollars at or from such a fund-raising activity.
RCW 29B.20.030 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 20 / Section 030
RCW 29B.20.030: Commission—Additional powers.
Status: in_force

In addition to the duties in RCW 29B.20.020 , the commission may: (1) Adopt, amend, and rescind suitable administrative rules to carry out the policies and purposes of this title, which rules shall be adopted under chapter 34.05 RCW. Any rule relating to campaign finance, political advertising, or related forms that would otherwise take effect after June 30th of a general election year shall take effect no earlier than the day following the general election in that year; (2) Appoint an executive director and set, within the limits established by the office of financial management under RCW 43.03.028 , the executive director's compensation. The executive director shall perform such duties and have such powers as the commission may prescribe and delegate to implement and enforce this title efficiently and effectively. The commission shall not delegate its authority to adopt, amend, or rescind rules nor may it delegate authority to determine that a violation of this title has occurred or to assess penalties for such violations; (3) Prepare and publish reports and technical studies as in its judgment will tend to promote the purposes of this title, including reports and statistics concerning campaign financing, lobbying, financial interests of elected officials, and enforcement of this title; (4) Conduct, as it deems appropriate, audits and field investigations; (5) Make public the time and date of any formal hearing set to determine whether a violation has occurred, the question or questions to be considered, and the results thereof; (6) Administer oaths and affirmations, issue subpoenas, and compel attendance, take evidence, and require the production of any records relevant to any investigation authorized under this title, or any other proceeding under this title; (7) Adopt a code of fair campaign practices; (8) Adopt rules relieving candidates or political committees of obligations to comply with election campaign provisions of this title, if they have not received contributions nor made expenditures in connection with any election campaign of more than *five thousand dollars; (9) Develop and provide to filers a system for certification of reports required under this title which are transmitted electronically to the commission. Implementation of the program is contingent on the availability of funds; and (10) Make available and keep current on its website a glossary of all defined terms in this title and in rules adopted by the commission.
RCW 29A.56.040 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 040
RCW 29A.56.040: Procedures—Ballot form and arrangement.
Status: in_force

(1) Except where necessary to accommodate the national or state rules of a major political party or where this chapter specifically provides otherwise, the presidential primary must be conducted in substantially the same manner as a state primary under this title. (2) The arrangement and form of presidential primary ballots must be established by administrative rule adopted under RCW 29A.04.620 , and in consultation with the major political parties. Only the candidates who have been submitted under RCW 29A.56.031 may appear on the ballots. (3) Each party's ballot or portion of the ballot must list alphabetically the names of all candidates for the office of president for that party. The ballot must clearly indicate the political party of each candidate. (4) If requested by a party chair, the ballot for that party must contain a place for a voter to indicate a preference for having delegates to the party's national convention remain uncommitted. A request under this subsection must be submitted to the secretary of state no later than sixty-three days before the presidential primary. (5) A presidential primary ballot with votes for more than one candidate is void, and notice to this effect, stated in clear, simple language and printed in large type, must appear on the face of each presidential primary ballot or on or about each voting device. (6) Notice must be published in the manner required by RCW 29A.52.355 .
RCW 29A.56.350 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 350
RCW 29A.56.350: Compensation.
Status: in_force

Every presidential elector who attends at the time and place appointed, and gives his or her vote for president and vice president consistent with his or her pledge under RCW 29A.56.084 or 29A.56.088 (3), is entitled to receive from this state a subsistence allowance and travel expenses pursuant to RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060 for each day's attendance at the meeting of the college of electors.
RCW 29A.24.091 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 24 / Section 091
RCW 29A.24.091: Declaration—Fees and petitions.
Status: in_force

(1) A filing fee of ten dollars shall accompany the declaration of candidacy for any office with a fixed annual salary of one thousand dollars or less. A filing fee equal to one percent of the annual salary of the office at the time of filing shall accompany the declaration of candidacy for any office with a fixed annual salary of more than one thousand dollars per annum. No filing fee need accompany a declaration of candidacy for precinct committee officer or any office for which compensation is on a per diem or per meeting attended basis, or any declaration of candidacy for a write-in candidate filed after the close of filing and more than eighteen days prior to a primary or election. (2) A filing fee of twenty-five dollars shall accompany the declaration of candidacy for write-in candidates for any office with a fixed annual salary of one thousand dollars or less if filed eighteen days or less prior to a primary or election. (3) A filing fee equal to one percent of the annual salary of the office at the time of filing shall accompany a declaration of candidacy for write-in candidates for any office with a fixed annual salary of more than one thousand dollars per annum if filed eighteen days or less prior to a primary or election. (4) A candidate who lacks sufficient assets or income at the time of filing to pay the filing fee required by this section shall submit with the candidate's declaration of candidacy a filing fee petition. The petition shall contain not less than a number of signatures of registered voters equal to the number of dollars of the filing fee. The signatures shall be of voters registered to vote within the jurisdiction of the office for which the candidate is filing.
RCW 29B.10.490 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 490
RCW 29B.10.490: Sponsored committee.
Status: in_force

"Sponsored committee" means a committee, other than an authorized committee, that has one or more sponsors.
RCW 29A.56.220 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 220
RCW 29A.56.220: Response to petition charges.
Status: in_force

When a date for a special recall election is set the certifying officer shall serve a notice of the date of the election to the officer whose recall is demanded and the person demanding recall. The manner of service shall be the same as for the commencement of a civil action in superior court. After having been served a notice of the date of the election and the ballot synopsis, the officer whose recall is demanded may submit to the certifying officer a response, not to exceed two hundred fifty words in length, to the charge contained in the ballot synopsis. Such response shall be submitted by the seventh consecutive day after service of the notice. The certifying officer shall promptly send a copy of the response to the person who filed the petition.
RCW 29A.72.250 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 72 / Section 250
RCW 29A.72.250: Initiatives and referenda to the people—Certificates of sufficiency.
Status: in_force

If a referendum or initiative petition for submission of a measure to the people is found sufficient, the secretary of state shall at the time and in the manner that he or she certifies to the county auditors of the various counties the names of candidates for state and district officers certify to each county auditor the serial numbers and ballot titles of the several initiative and referendum measures to be voted upon at the next ensuing general election or special election ordered by the legislature.
RCW 29A.92.120 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 92 / Section 120
RCW 29A.92.120: Safe harbor—Limitation of actions.
Status: in_force

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(1) No action under this chapter may be brought by any person against a political subdivision that has adopted a remedy to its electoral system after an action is filed that is approved by a court pursuant to RCW 29A.92.070 or implemented a court-ordered remedy pursuant to RCW 29A.92.110 for four years after adoption of the remedy if the political subdivision does not enact a change to or deviation from the remedy during this four-year period that would otherwise give rise to an action under this chapter. (2) No action under this chapter may be brought by any person against a political subdivision that has adopted a remedy to its electoral system in the previous decade before June 7, 2018, as a result of a claim under the federal voting rights act until after the political subdivision completes redistricting pursuant to RCW 29A.76.010 for the 2020 decennial census.
RCW 29A.40.091 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 40 / Section 091
RCW 29A.40.091: Envelopes, declaration, and instructions—Voter's oath—Overseas and service voters—Return of ballots—County auditor's name.
Status: in_force

(1) The county auditor shall send each voter a ballot, a security envelope in which to conceal the ballot after voting, a larger envelope in which to return the security envelope, a declaration that the voter must sign, and instructions on how to obtain information about the election, how to mark the ballot, and how to return the ballot to the county auditor. The calendar date of the election must be prominently displayed in bold type, twenty-point font or larger, on the envelope sent to the voter containing the ballot and other materials listed in this subsection. (2) The voter must swear under penalty of perjury that he or she meets the qualifications to vote, and has not voted in any other jurisdiction at this election. The declaration must clearly inform the voter that it is illegal to vote if he or she is not a United States citizen; it is illegal to vote if he or she is serving a sentence of total confinement under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections for a felony conviction or is currently incarcerated for a federal or out-of-state felony conviction; it is illegal to cast a ballot or sign a ballot declaration on behalf of another voter; and that the signature on the declaration will be compared to the signature in the voter's registration file. The ballot materials must provide space for the voter to sign the declaration, indicate the date on which the ballot was voted, and include a telephone number. (3) For overseas and service voters, the signed declaration constitutes the equivalent of a voter registration. Return envelopes for overseas and service voters must enable the ballot to be returned postage free if mailed through the United States postal service, United States armed forces postal service, or the postal service of a United States foreign embassy under 39 U.S.C. 3406. (4) The voter must be instructed to either return the ballot to the county auditor no later than 8:00 p.m. the day of the election or primary, or mail the ballot to the county auditor with a postmark no later than the day of the election or primary. Return envelopes for all election ballots must include prepaid postage. Service and overseas voters must be provided with instructions and a privacy sheet for returning the ballot and signed declaration by fax or email. A voted ballot and signed declaration returned by fax or email must be received by 8:00 p.m. on the day of the election or primary. (5) The county auditor's name may not appear on the security envelope, the return envelope, or on any voting instructions or materials included with the ballot if he or she is a candidate for office during the same year. (6) For purposes of this section, "prepaid postage" means any method of return postage paid by the county or state.
RCW 29A.56.180 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 180
RCW 29A.56.180: Number of signatures required.
Status: in_force

When the person, committee, or organization demanding the recall of a public officer has secured sufficient signatures upon the recall petition the person, committee, or organization may submit the same to the officer with whom the charge was filed for filing in his or her office. The number of signatures required shall be as follows: (1) In the case of a state officer, an officer of a city of the first class, a member of a school board in a city of the first class, or a county officer of a county with a population of forty thousand or more — signatures of legal voters equal to twenty-five percent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for the office to which the officer whose recall is demanded was elected at the preceding election. (2) In the case of an officer of any political subdivision, city, town, township, precinct, or school district other than those mentioned in subsection (1) of this section, and in the case of a state senator or representative — signatures of legal voters equal to thirty-five percent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for the office to which the officer whose recall is demanded was elected at the preceding election.
RCW 29A.24.320 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 24 / Section 320
RCW 29A.24.320: Write-in candidates—Notice to auditors, ballot counters.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state shall notify each county auditor of any declarations filed with the secretary under RCW 29A.24.311 for offices appearing on the ballot in that county. The county auditor shall ensure that those persons charged with counting the ballots for a primary or election are notified of all valid write-in candidates before the tabulation of those ballots.
RCW 29A.04.900 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 900
RCW 29A.04.900: Continuation of existing law.
Status: repealed

The provisions of this title insofar as they are substantially the same as statutory provisions repealed by this chapter, and relating to the same subject matter, shall be construed as restatements and continuations, and not as new enactments.
RCW 29A.08.760 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 760
RCW 29A.08.760: Computer file—Duplicate copy—Restrictions and penalties.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state shall provide a duplicate copy of the master statewide computer file or electronic data file of registered voters to Washington technology solutions for purposes of creating the jury source list without cost. The information contained in a voter registration application is exempt from inclusion until the applicant reaches age eighteen. Disclosure of information on individuals under the age of 18 is subject to RCW 29A.08.725 . Restrictions as to the commercial use of the information on the statewide computer data file of registered voters, and penalties for its misuse, shall be the same as provided in RCW 29A.08.720 and 29A.08.740 .
RCW 29A.08.174 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 174
RCW 29A.08.174: Registration at age 16 and 17—Application electronically.
Status: in_force

(1) A person who has attained sixteen years of age and has a valid Washington state driver's license or identicard may sign up to register to vote as part of the future voter program, by submitting a voter registration application electronically on the secretary of state website. (2) The applicant must attest to the truth of the information provided on the application by affirmatively accepting the information as true. (3) If signing up to register electronically, the applicant must affirmatively assent to the use of his or her driver's license or identicard signature for voter registration purposes. (4) The applicant must affirmatively acknowledge that he or she will not vote in a special or general election until his or her eighteenth birthday, and will only vote in a primary election or presidential primary election if he or she will be eighteen years of age by the general election. (5) For each electronic registration application, the secretary of state must obtain a digital copy of the applicant's driver's license or identicard signature from the department of licensing. (6) The secretary of state may employ additional security measures to ensure the accuracy and integrity of voter preregistration applications submitted electronically.
RCW 29A.84.720 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 720
RCW 29A.84.720: Officers—Violations generally.
Status: in_force

Every person charged with the performance of any duty under the provisions of any law of this state relating to elections, including primaries, or the provisions of any charter or ordinance of any city or town of this state relating to elections who willfully neglects or refuses to perform such duty, or provides unauthorized access to a person or entity to physical locations or electronic or physical access to election software or hardware used in any element of conduct of an election, or who, in the performance of such duty, or in the person's official capacity, knowingly or fraudulently violates any of the provisions of law relating to such duty, is guilty of a class C felony punishable under RCW 9A.20.021 and shall forfeit the person's office.
RCW 29B.20.060 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 20 / Section 060
RCW 29B.20.060: Duties of attorney general.
Status: in_force

The attorney general, through his or her office, shall provide assistance as required by the commission to carry out its responsibilities under this title. The commission may employ attorneys who are neither the attorney general nor an assistant attorney general to carry out any function of the attorney general prescribed in this title.
RCW 29B.05.010 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 05 / Section 010
RCW 29B.05.010: Declaration of policy.
Status: in_force

It is hereby declared by the sovereign people to be the public policy of the state of Washington: (1) That political campaign and lobbying contributions and expenditures be fully disclosed to the public and that secrecy is to be avoided. (2) That the people have the right to expect from their elected representatives at all levels of government the utmost of integrity, honesty, and fairness in their dealings. (3) That the people shall be assured that the private financial dealings of their public officials, and of candidates for those offices, present no conflict of interest between the public trust and private interest. (4) That our representative form of government is founded on a belief that those entrusted with the offices of government have nothing to fear from full public disclosure of their financial and business holdings, provided those officials deal honestly and fairly with the people. (5) That public confidence in government at all levels is essential and must be promoted by all possible means. (6) That public confidence in government at all levels can best be sustained by assuring the people of the impartiality and honesty of the officials in all public transactions and decisions. (7) That the concept of attempting to increase financial participation of individual contributors in political campaigns is encouraged by the passage of the Revenue Act of 1971 by the Congress of the United States, and in consequence thereof, it is desirable to have implementing legislation at the state level. (8) That the concepts of disclosure and limitation of election campaign financing are established by the passage of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 by the Congress of the United States, and in consequence thereof it is desirable to have implementing legislation at the state level. (9) That small contributions by individual contributors are to be encouraged, and that not requiring the reporting of small contributions may tend to encourage such contributions. (10) That the public's right to know of the financing of political campaigns and lobbying and the financial affairs of elected officials and candidates far outweighs any right that these matters remain secret and private. (11) That, mindful of the right of individuals to privacy and of the desirability of the efficient administration of government, full access to information concerning the conduct of government on every level must be assured as a fundamental and necessary precondition to the sound governance of a free society. The provisions of this title shall be liberally construed to promote complete disclosure of all information respecting the financing of political campaigns and lobbying, and the financial affairs of elected officials and candidates, and full access to public records so as to assure continuing public confidence of fairness of elections and governmental processes, and so as to assure that the public interest will be fully protected. In promoting such complete disclosure, however, this title shall be enforced so as to ensure that the information disclosed will not be misused for arbitrary and capricious purposes and to ensure that all persons reporting under this title will be protected from harassment and unfounded allegations based on information they have freely disclosed.
RCW 29B.55.010 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 55 / Section 010
RCW 29B.55.010: Elected officials, executive state officers, candidates, and appointees—Statement of financial affairs.
Status: in_force

(1) After January 1st and before April 15th of each year, every elected official and every executive state officer who served for any portion of the preceding year shall electronically file with the commission a statement of financial affairs for the preceding calendar year or for that portion of the year served. Any official or officer in office for any period of time in a calendar year, but not in office as of January 1st of the following year, may electronically file either within 60 days of leaving office or during the January 1st through April 15th reporting period of that following year. Such filing must include information for the portion of the current calendar year for which the official or officer was in office. (2) Within two weeks of becoming a candidate, every candidate shall file with the commission a statement of financial affairs for the preceding 12 months. (3) Within two weeks of appointment, every person appointed to a vacancy in an elective office or executive state officer position during the months of January through November shall file with the commission a statement of financial affairs for the preceding 12 months, except as provided in subsection (4) of this section. For appointments made in December, the appointee must file the statement of financial affairs between January 1st and January 15th of the immediate following year for the preceding 12-month period ending on December 31st. (4) A statement of a candidate or appointee filed during the period from January 1st to April 15th shall cover the period from January 1st of the preceding calendar year to the time of candidacy or appointment if the filing of the statement would relieve the individual of a prior obligation to file a statement covering the entire preceding calendar year. (5) No individual may be required to file more than once in any calendar year. (6) Each statement of financial affairs filed under this section shall be sworn as to its truth and accuracy. (7) Every elected official and every executive state officer shall file with their statement of financial affairs a statement certifying that they have read and are familiar with RCW 29B.45.010 or 42.52.180 , whichever is applicable. (8) For the purposes of this section, the term "executive state officer" includes those listed in RCW 29B.55.020 . (9) This section does not apply to incumbents or candidates for a federal office or the office of precinct committee officer.
RCW 29A.88.010 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 88 / Section 010
RCW 29A.88.010: Findings.
Status: in_force

(1) The legislature and the people find that the federal Nuclear Waste Policy Act provides that within sixty days of the president's recommendation of a site for a high-level nuclear waste repository, a state may disapprove the selection of such site in that state. (2) The legislature and the people desire, if the governor and legislature do not issue a notice of disapproval within twenty-one days of the president's recommendation, that the people of this state have the opportunity to vote upon disapproval.
RCW 29A.60.040 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 60 / Section 040
RCW 29A.60.040: Rejection of ballots or parts—Write-in votes.
Status: in_force

A ballot is invalid and no votes on that ballot may be counted if it is found folded together with another ballot. Those parts of a ballot are invalid and no votes may be counted for those issues or offices where more votes are cast for the office or issue than are permitted by law; write-in votes do not contain all of the information required under RCW 29A.60.021 ; or that issue or office is not marked with sufficient definiteness to determine the voter's choice or intention. No write-in vote may be rejected due to a variation in the form of the name if the canvassing board can determine the issue for or against which or the person and the office for which the voter intended to vote.
RCW 29A.04.580 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 580
RCW 29A.04.580: County auditor and review staff.
Status: in_force

The county auditor may designate any person who has been certified under this chapter, other than the auditor, to participate in a review conducted in the county under this chapter. Each county auditor and canvassing board shall cooperate fully during an election review by making available to the reviewing staff any material requested by the staff. The reviewing staff shall have full access to the county's election material. If ballots are reviewed by the staff, they shall be reviewed in the presence of the canvassing board or its designees. Ballots shall not leave the custody of the canvassing board. During the review and after its completion, the review staff may make appropriate recommendations to the county auditor or canvassing board, or both, to bring the county into compliance with the training required under this chapter, and the laws or rules of the state of Washington, to safeguard election material or to preserve the integrity of the elections process.
RCW 29A.04.330 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 330
RCW 29A.04.330: City, town, and district general and special elections—Exceptions.
Status: in_force

(1) All city, town, and district general elections shall be held throughout the state of Washington on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in the odd-numbered years. This section shall not apply to: (a) Elections for the recall of any elective public officer; (b) Public utility districts, conservation districts, or district elections at which the ownership of property within those districts is a prerequisite to voting, all of which elections shall be held at the times prescribed in the laws specifically applicable thereto; (c) Consolidation proposals as provided for in RCW 28A.315.235 and nonhigh capital fund aid proposals as provided for in chapter 28A.540 RCW; and (d) Special flood control districts consisting of three or more counties. (2) The county auditor, as ex officio supervisor of elections, upon request in the form of a resolution of the governing body of a city, town, or district, presented to the auditor prior to the proposed election date, shall call a special election in such city, town, or district, and for the purpose of such special election he or she may combine, unite, or divide precincts. Such a special election shall be held on one of the following dates as decided by the governing body: (a) The second Tuesday in February; (b) The fourth Tuesday in April; (c) The day of the primary election as specified by RCW 29A.04.311 ; or (d) The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. (3) A resolution calling for a special election on a date set forth in subsection (2)(a) and (b) of this section must be presented to the county auditor at least sixty days prior to the election date. A resolution calling for a special election on a date set forth in subsection (2)(c) of this section must be presented to the county auditor no later than the Friday immediately before the first day of regular candidate filing. A resolution calling for a special election on a date set forth in subsection (2)(d) of this section must be presented to the county auditor no later than the day of the primary. (4) In addition to subsection (2)(a) through (d) of this section, a special election to validate an excess levy or bond issue may be called at any time to meet the needs resulting from fire, flood, earthquake, or other act of God, except that no special election may be held between the first day for candidates to file for public office and the last day to certify the returns of the general election other than as provided in subsection (2)(c) and (d) of this section. Such special election shall be conducted and notice thereof given in the manner provided by law. (5) This section shall supersede the provisions of any and all other statutes, whether general or special in nature, having different dates for such city, town, and district elections, the purpose of this section being to establish mandatory dates for holding elections.
RCW 29A.76.040 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 76 / Section 040
RCW 29A.76.040: Maps and census correspondence lists—Apportionment—Duties of secretary of state.
Status: in_force

(1) With regard to functions relating to census, apportionment, and the establishment of legislative and congressional districts, the secretary of state shall: (a) Coordinate and monitor precinct mapping functions of the county auditors and county engineers; (b) Maintain official state base maps and correspondence lists and maintain an index of all such maps and lists; (c) Furnish to the United States bureau of the census as needed for the decennial census of population, current, accurate, and easily readable versions of maps of all counties, cities, towns, and other areas of this state, which indicate current precinct boundaries together with copies of the census correspondence lists. (2) The secretary of state shall serve as the state liaison with the United States bureau of census on matters relating to the preparation of maps and the tabulation of population for apportionment purposes.
RCW 29B.05.020 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 05 / Section 020
RCW 29B.05.020: Conservation district exception.
Status: in_force

Elections of conservation district supervisors held pursuant to chapter 89.08 RCW shall not be considered general or special elections for purposes of the campaign disclosure and personal financial affairs reporting requirements of this title. Elected conservation district supervisors are not considered elected officials for purposes of the annual personal financial affairs reporting requirement of this title.
RCW 29B.10.070 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 070
RCW 29B.10.070: Bona fide political party.
Status: in_force

"Bona fide political party" means: (1) An organization that has been recognized as a minor political party by the secretary of state; (2) The governing body of the state organization of a major political party, as defined in RCW 29A.04.086 , that is the body authorized by the charter or bylaws of the party to exercise authority on behalf of the state party; or (3) The county central committee or legislative district committee of a major political party. There may be only one legislative district committee for each party in each legislative district.
RCW 29B.50.020 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 50 / Section 020
RCW 29B.50.020: Code of conduct—Verification—Penalty.
Status: in_force

(1) A lobbyist who is registered under RCW 29B.50.010 before December 31, 2019, is required to update the lobbyist's registration materials to include the attestation required by RCW 29B.50.010 (1)(j) by December 31, 2019. (2) The commission shall revoke the registration of any lobbyist registered under RCW 29B.50.010 who does not comply with subsection (1) of this section. (3) The commission may not impose any other penalty on a lobbyist registered under RCW 29B.50.010 for failure to comply with subsection (1) of this section. (4) The commission shall collaborate with the chief clerk of the house of representatives and the secretary of the senate to develop a process to verify that lobbyists who submit an attestation under RCW 29B.50.010 (1)(j) have completed the training course provided under RCW 44.04.390 .
RCW 29B.50.050 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 50 / Section 050
RCW 29B.50.050: Reporting by lobbyists—Rules.
Status: in_force

(1) Any lobbyist registered under RCW 29B.50.010 and any person who lobbies shall file electronically with the commission monthly reports of the lobbyist's or person's lobbying activities. The reports shall be made in the form and manner prescribed by the commission and must be signed by the lobbyist. The monthly report shall be filed within 15 days after the last day of the calendar month covered by the report. (2) The monthly report shall contain: (a) The totals of all expenditures for lobbying activities made or incurred by the lobbyist or on behalf of the lobbyist by the lobbyist's employer during the period covered by the report. Expenditure totals for lobbying activities shall be segregated according to financial category, including compensation; food and refreshments; living accommodations; advertising; travel; contributions; and other expenses or services. Each individual expenditure of more than *twenty-five dollars for entertainment shall be identified by date, place, amount, and the names of all persons taking part in the entertainment, along with the dollar amount attributable to each person, including the lobbyist's portion. (b) In the case of a lobbyist employed by more than one employer, the proportionate amount of expenditures in each category incurred on behalf of each of the lobbyist's employers. (c) An itemized listing of each contribution of money or of tangible or intangible personal property, whether contributed by the lobbyist personally or delivered or transmitted by the lobbyist, to any candidate, elected official, or officer or employee of any agency, or any political committee supporting or opposing any ballot proposition, or for or on behalf of any candidate, elected official, or officer or employee of any agency, or any political committee supporting or opposing any ballot proposition. All contributions made to, or for the benefit of, any candidate, elected official, or officer or employee of any agency, or any political committee supporting or opposing any ballot proposition shall be identified by date, amount, and the name of the candidate, elected official, or officer or employee of any agency, or any political committee supporting or opposing any ballot proposition receiving, or to be benefited by each such contribution. (d) The subject matter of proposed legislation or other legislative activity or rule making under chapter 34.05 RCW, the state administrative procedure act, and the state agency considering the same, which the lobbyist has been engaged in supporting or opposing during the reporting period, unless exempt under RCW 29B.50.040 (2). (e) A listing of each payment for an item specified in RCW 42.52.150 (7) in excess of $100 and each item specified in RCW 42.52.150 (1)(c) (iv) and (vi) made to a state elected official, state officer, or state employee. Each item shall be identified by recipient, date, and approximate value of the item. (f) The total expenditures paid or incurred during the reporting period by the lobbyist for lobbying purposes, whether through or on behalf of a lobbyist or otherwise, for (i) political advertising as defined in RCW 29B.10.410 ; and (ii) public relations, telemarketing, polling, or similar activities if the activities, directly or indirectly, are intended, designed, or calculated to influence legislation or the adoption or rejection of a rule, standard, or rate by an agency under the administrative procedure act. The report shall specify the amount, the person to whom the amount was paid, and a brief description of the activity. (3) Lobbyists are not required to report the following: (a) Unreimbursed personal living and travel expenses not incurred directly for lobbying; (b) Any expenses incurred for the lobbyist's own living accommodations; (c) Any expenses incurred for the lobbyist's own travel to and from hearings of the legislature; (d) Any expenses incurred for telephone, and any office expenses, including rent and salaries and wages paid for staff and secretarial assistance. (4) The commission may adopt rules to vary the content of lobbyist reports to address specific circumstances, consistent with this section. Lobbyist reports are subject to audit by the commission.
RCW 29A.68.040 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 68 / Section 040
RCW 29A.68.040: Hearing date—Issuance of citation—Service.
Status: in_force

Upon such affidavit being filed, the clerk shall inform the judge of the appropriate court, who may give notice, and order a session of the court to be held at the usual place of holding the court, on some day to be named by the judge, not less than ten nor more than twenty days from the date of the notice, to hear and determine such contested election. If no session is called for the purpose, the contest must be determined at the first regular session of court after the statement is filed. The clerk of the court shall also at the time issue a citation for the person charged with the error or omission, to appear at the time and place specified in the notice. The citation must be delivered to the sheriff and be served upon the party in person; or if the person cannot be found, by leaving a copy thereof at the house where the person last resided.
RCW 29A.60.130 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 60 / Section 130
RCW 29A.60.130: Certificate not withheld for informality in returns.
Status: in_force

No certificate shall be withheld on account of any defect or informality in the returns of any election, if it can with reasonable certainty be ascertained from such return what office is intended, and who is entitled to such certificate, nor shall any commission be withheld by the governor on account of any defect or informality of any return made to the office of the secretary of state.
RCW 29B.40.100 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 40 / Section 100
RCW 29B.40.100: Identification of contributions and communications.
Status: in_force

No contribution shall be made and no expenditure shall be incurred, directly or indirectly, in a fictitious name, anonymously, or by one person through an agent, relative, or other person in such a manner as to conceal the identity of the source of the contribution or in any other manner so as to effect concealment.
RCW 29A.08.107 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 107
RCW 29A.08.107: Applicant information for registration—Provisional registration—Exception.
Status: in_force

(1) If the driver's license number, state identification card number, or last four digits of the social security number provided by the applicant match the information maintained by the Washington department of licensing or the social security administration, and the applicant provided all information required by RCW 29A.08.010 , the applicant must be registered to vote. (2) If the driver's license number, state identification card number, or last four digits of the social security number provided by the applicant do not match the information maintained by the Washington department of licensing or the social security administration, or if the applicant does not provide a Washington driver's license, a Washington state identification card, or a social security number, the applicant must be provisionally registered to vote. An identification notice must be sent to the voter to obtain the correct driver's license number, state identification card number, last four digits of the social security number, or one of the following forms of alternate identification: (a) Valid photo identification; (b) A valid enrollment card of a federally recognized Indian tribe in Washington state; (c) A copy of a current utility bill; (d) A current bank statement; (e) A copy of a current government check; (f) A copy of a current paycheck; or (g) A government document, other than a voter registration card, that shows both the name and address of the voter. (3) The ballot of a provisionally registered voter may not be counted until the voter provides a driver's license number, a state identification card number, or the last four digits of a social security number that matches the information maintained by the Washington department of licensing or the social security administration, or until the voter provides alternate identification. The identification must be provided no later than the day before certification of the primary or election. If the voter provides one of the forms of identification in subsection (2) of this section, the voter's registration status must be changed from provisionally registered to registered. (4) A provisional registration must remain on the official list of registered voters through at least two general elections for federal office. If, after two general elections for federal office, the voter still has not verified his or her identity, the provisional registration may be canceled. (5) The requirements of this section do not apply to an overseas or service voter who registers to vote by signing the return envelope of an absentee ballot, or to a registered voter transferring his or her registration.
RCW 29B.10.310 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 310
RCW 29B.10.310: Independent expenditure.
Status: in_force

(1) "Independent expenditure" means an expenditure that has each of the following elements: (a) It is made in support of or in opposition to a candidate for office by a person who is not: (i) A candidate for that office; (ii) An authorized committee of that candidate for that office; and (iii) A person who has received the candidate's encouragement or approval to make the expenditure, if the expenditure pays in whole or in part for political advertising supporting that candidate or promoting the defeat of any other candidate or candidates for that office; (b) It is made in support of or in opposition to a candidate for office by a person with whom the candidate has not collaborated for the purpose of making the expenditure, if the expenditure pays in whole or in part for political advertising supporting that candidate or promoting the defeat of any other candidate or candidates for that office; (c) The expenditure pays in whole or in part for political advertising that either specifically names the candidate supported or opposed, or clearly and beyond any doubt identifies the candidate without using the candidate's name; and (d) The expenditure, alone or in conjunction with another expenditure or other expenditures of the same person in support of or opposition to that candidate, has a value of $1,000 or more. A series of expenditures, each of which is under $1,000, constitutes one independent expenditure if their cumulative value is $1,000 or more. (2) "Independent expenditure" does not include: Ordinary home hospitality; communications with journalists or editorial staff designed to elicit a news item, feature, commentary, or editorial in a regularly scheduled news medium that is of primary interest to the general public, controlled by a person whose business is that news medium, and not controlled by a candidate or a political committee; participation in the creation of a publicly funded voters' pamphlet statement in written or video form; an internal political communication primarily limited to contributors to a political party organization or political action committee, the officers, management staff, and stockholders of a corporation or similar enterprise, or the members of a labor organization or other membership organization; or the rendering of personal services of the sort commonly performed by volunteer campaign workers or incidental expenses personally incurred by volunteer campaign workers not in excess of $250 personally paid for by the worker.
RCW 29B.10.350 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 350
RCW 29B.10.350: Lobby—Lobbying.
Status: in_force

"Lobby" and "lobbying" each mean attempting to influence the passage or defeat of any legislation by the legislature of the state of Washington, or the adoption or rejection of any rule, standard, rate, or other legislative enactment of any state agency under the state administrative procedure act, chapter 34.05 RCW. Neither "lobby" nor "lobbying" includes an association's or other organization's act of communicating with the members of that association or organization.
RCW 29B.25.110 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 25 / Section 110
RCW 29B.25.110: Out-of-state political committees—Reports.
Status: in_force

(1) An out-of-state political committee organized for the purpose of supporting or opposing candidates or ballot propositions in another state that is not otherwise required to report under RCW 29B.25.020 through 29B.25.100 shall report as required in this section when it makes an expenditure supporting or opposing a Washington state candidate or political committee. The committee shall file with the commission a statement disclosing: (a) Its name and address; (b) The purposes of the out-of-state committee; (c) The names, addresses, and titles of its officers or, if it has no officers, the names, addresses, and the titles of its responsible leaders; (d) The name, office sought, and party affiliation of each candidate in the state of Washington whom the out-of-state committee is supporting or opposing and, if the committee is supporting or opposing the entire ticket of any party, the name of the party; (e) The ballot proposition supported or opposed in the state of Washington, if any, and whether the committee is in favor of or opposed to that proposition; (f) The name and address of each person residing in the state of Washington or corporation that has a place of business in the state of Washington who has made one or more contributions in the aggregate of more than *twenty-five dollars to the out-of-state committee during the current calendar year, together with the money value and date of the contributions; (g) The name, address, and employer of each person or corporation residing outside the state of Washington who has made one or more contributions in the aggregate of more than *two thousand five hundred fifty dollars to the out-of-state committee during the current calendar year, together with the money value and date of the contributions. Annually, the commission must modify the *two thousand five hundred fifty dollar limit in this subsection based on percentage change in the implicit price deflator for personal consumption expenditures for the United States as published for the most recent 12-month period by the bureau of economic analysis of the federal department of commerce; (h) The name and address of each person in the state of Washington to whom an expenditure was made by the out-of-state committee with respect to a candidate or political committee in the aggregate amount of more than *fifty dollars, the amount, date, and purpose of the expenditure, and the total sum of the expenditures; (i) A statement that the out-of-state committee has received a certification from any partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other combination of persons making a contribution reportable under this section that: (i) The contribution is not financed in any part by a foreign national; and (ii) Foreign nationals are not involved in making decisions regarding the contribution in any way; and (j) Any other information as the commission may prescribe by rule in keeping with the policies and purposes of this title. (2) Each statement shall be filed no later than the 10th day of the month following any month in which a contribution or other expenditure reportable under subsection (1) of this section is made. An out-of-state committee incurring an obligation to file additional statements in a calendar year may satisfy the obligation by timely filing reports that supplement previously filed information.
RCW 29A.56.610 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 610
RCW 29A.56.610: Nomination by convention—Dates.
Status: in_force

Nominations of candidates for president and vice president of the United States, other than by a major political party, may be made at a convention conducted not earlier than the first Saturday in May and not later than the fourth Saturday in July in the year that president and vice president appear on the general election ballot. A minor political party may hold more than one convention but in no case shall any such party nominate more than one candidate for president or more than one candidate for vice president. To be valid, a convention must be attended by at least one hundred registered voters, but a minor party or independent candidate holding multiple conventions may add together the number of signatures of different individuals from each convention in order to obtain and submit to the secretary of state the signatures of at least one thousand registered voters of the state of Washington.
RCW 29B.30.030 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 30 / Section 030
RCW 29B.30.030: When a contribution.
Status: in_force

(1) An electioneering communication made by a person in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate, a candidate's authorized committee, or their agents is a contribution to the candidate. (2) An electioneering communication made by a person in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a political committee or its agents is a contribution to the political committee. (3) If an electioneering communication is not a contribution pursuant to subsection (1) or (2) of this section, the sponsor shall file an affidavit or declaration so stating at the time the sponsor is required to report the electioneering communication expense under RCW 29B.30.020 .
RCW 29A.08.315 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 315
RCW 29A.08.315: Automatic voter registration—Application for government services requiring proof of citizenship.
Status: in_force

A person applying for government services which require proof of citizenship as part of that application may receive automatic voter registration services by providing the following information: (1) Name; (2) Residential address; (3) Date of birth; (4) A signature attesting to the truth of the information provided on the application; (5) An address where the person receives mail, if different from the residence address; and (6) Presentation of documentation as part of another government transaction confirming the individual is a United States citizen.
RCW 29A.84.730 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 730
RCW 29A.84.730: Divulging ballot count.
Status: in_force

(1) In any location in which ballots are counted, no person authorized by law to be present while votes are being counted may divulge any results of the count of the ballots at any time prior to 8:00 p.m. on the day of the primary or special or general election. (2) A violation of this section is a gross misdemeanor punishable to the same extent as a gross misdemeanor that is punishable under RCW 9A.20.021 .
RCW 29A.84.620 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 620
RCW 29A.84.620: Hindering or bribing voter.
Status: in_force

Any person who uses menace, force, threat, or any unlawful means towards any voter to hinder or deter such a voter from voting, or directly or indirectly offers any bribe, reward, or any thing of value to a voter in exchange for the voter's vote for or against any person or ballot measure, or authorizes any person to do so, is guilty of a class C felony punishable under RCW 9A.20.021 .
RCW 29A.36.201 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 36 / Section 201
RCW 29A.36.201: Names qualified to appear on election ballot.
Status: in_force

The names of candidates certified by the secretary of state or the county canvassing board as qualified to appear on the general election shall be printed on the general election ballot. If a primary for an office was held, no name of any candidate shall be placed upon the ballot at a general or special election unless it appears upon the certificate of either (1) the secretary of state, or (2) the county canvassing board. Excluding the office of precinct committee officer or a temporary elected position such as a charter review board member or freeholder, a candidate's name shall not appear on a ballot more than once.
RCW 29A.28.041 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 28 / Section 041
RCW 29A.28.041: Congress—Special election.
Status: in_force

(1) Whenever a vacancy occurs in the United States house of representatives or the United States senate from this state, the governor shall order a special election to fill the vacancy. (2) Within ten days of such vacancy occurring, he or she shall issue a writ of election fixing a date for the primary at least seventy days after issuance of the writ, and fixing a date for the election at least seventy days after the date of the primary. If the vacancy is in the office of United States representative, the writ of election shall specify the congressional district that is vacant. (3) If the vacancy occurs less than eight months before a general election and before the close of the filing period for that general election, the special primary and special vacancy election must be held in concert with the state primary and general election in that year. (4) If the vacancy occurs on or after the first day for filing under RCW 29A.24.050 and on or before the close of the filing period, a special filing period of three normal business days shall be fixed and notice thereof given to all media, including press, radio, and television within the area in which the vacancy election is to be held, to the end that, insofar as possible, all interested persons will be aware of such filing period. (5) If the vacancy occurs later than the close of the filing period, a special primary and vacancy election to fill the position shall be held after the next general election but, in any event, no later than the ninetieth day following the general election.
RCW 29A.68.110 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 68 / Section 110
RCW 29A.68.110: Illegal votes—Number of votes affected—Enough to change result.
Status: in_force

(1) No election for an office may be set aside on account of illegal votes, unless it appears that an amount of illegal votes has been given to the person whose right is being contested, that, if taken from that person, would reduce the number of the person's legal votes below the number of votes given to some other person for the same office, after deducting therefrom the illegal votes that may be shown to have been given to the other person. (2) No election for a measure may be set aside on account of illegal votes, unless it appears that an amount of illegal votes has been given to the winning choice being contested, that, if taken from that winning choice, would reduce the number of legal votes for the winning choice below the number of votes given to the other choice, after deducting therefrom the illegal votes that may be shown to have been given to the other choice.
RCW 29A.64.041 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 64 / Section 041
RCW 29A.64.041: Procedure—Request to stop—Observers.
Status: in_force

(1) At the time and place established for a recount, the canvassing board or its duly authorized representatives, in the presence of all witnesses who may be in attendance, shall open the sealed containers containing the ballots to be recounted, and shall recount the votes for the offices or issues for which the recount has been ordered. Ballots shall be handled only by the members of the canvassing board or their duly authorized representatives. The canvassing board shall not permit the tabulation of votes for any nomination, election, or issue other than the ones for which a recount was applied for or required. (2) At any time before the ballots from all of the precincts listed in the application for the recount have been recounted, the applicant may file with the board a written request to stop the recount. (3) The recount may be observed by persons representing the candidates affected by the recount or the persons representing both sides of an issue that is being recounted. Witnesses shall be permitted to observe the ballots and the process of tabulating the votes, but they shall not be permitted to handle the ballots. The observers may not make a record of the names, addresses, or other information on the ballots, declarations, or lists of voters unless authorized by the superior court. The secretary of state or county auditor may limit the number of observers to not less than two on each side if, in his or her opinion, a greater number would cause undue delay or disruption of the recount process.
RCW 29A.12.210 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 12 / Section 210
RCW 29A.12.210: Cybersecurity measures by county auditors.
Status: in_force

Each county auditor shall implement no later than July 1, 2027, cybersecurity measures including but not limited to: (1) Implementation and adoption of the ".gov" top-level domain available through the United States department of homeland security through the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency for all election and voting systems and infrastructure. This adoption is required for election and voting systems and websites and may include all county cyber assets and email domains. (2) Partitioning the entire auditor's office, including all of its information technology systems and assets, or specifically partitioning election and voting information technology infrastructure from other county assets. The secretary of state shall consult with county auditors on which systems and assets need to be partitioned or technologically isolated and protected. Eliminating threat actors from moving laterally within a network to target election-related capabilities is paramount. The secretary of state may extend the deadline for a county auditor to comply with this subsection if more time is necessary for implementation. (3) Isolation of all ballot counting equipment and voting system components as defined in RCW 29A.12.005 from any other network including: (a) Internal networks within a county election office; (b) Printer sharing networks external to the ballot counting system; (c) The internet, world wide web, or other similar networks; (d) Wifi and radio connectivity; (e) Wired connectivity; and (f) Any telephonic or other connectivity. (4) No configuration of voting systems to: (a) Establish a connection to an external network; or (b) Connect to any device external to the voting system. (5) Purchase of voting systems that include documentation listing security configurations and network security best practices and operating those systems used for conducting primaries and elections in a manner consistent with that documentation. (6) Restricting all data transfers from any voting system to using single-use, previously erased devices that contain no information prior to connection with the system. This includes pen drives, flash memory drives, memory sticks, and any other removal media used to transfer data. Devices used in data transfer must either be provided by the secretary of state to the county auditor for single use, or the media must be overwritten by the county auditor by following guidelines for media sanitization defined in rules promulgated by the secretary of state.
RCW 29A.24.141 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 24 / Section 141
RCW 29A.24.141: Void in candidacy.
Status: in_force

A void in candidacy occurs when an election has been scheduled and no valid declaration of candidacy has been filed for the position or all persons filing such valid declarations of candidacy have died or been disqualified.
RCW 29A.88.040 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 88 / Section 040
RCW 29A.88.040: Special election—Notification of auditors—Application of election laws.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state shall promptly notify the county auditors of the date of the special election and certify to them the text of the ballot title for this special election. The general election laws shall apply to the election required by RCW 29A.88.020 to the extent that they are not inconsistent with this chapter. Statutory deadlines relating to certification, canvassing, and the voters' pamphlet may be modified for the election held pursuant to RCW 29A.88.020 by the secretary of state through emergency rules adopted under RCW 29A.04.611 .
RCW 29A.92.030 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 92 / Section 030
RCW 29A.92.030: Violations—Factors.
Status: in_force

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 1750-S2.SL ) ***

(1) A political subdivision is in violation of this chapter when it is shown that: (a) Elections in the political subdivision exhibit polarized voting; and (b) Members of a protected class or classes do not have an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice as a result of the dilution or abridgment of the rights of members of that protected class or classes. (2) In determining whether there is polarized voting under this chapter, the court shall analyze election results including, but not limited to, elections of the governing body of the political subdivision, ballot measure elections, elections in which at least one candidate is a member of a protected class, and other electoral choices that affect the rights and privileges of members of a protected class. The court is not required to consider explanations, including partisanship, for why polarized voting under this chapter exists in the political subdivision to determine whether polarized voting under this chapter exists in the political subdivision. Elections conducted prior to the filing of an action pursuant to this chapter are more probative to establish the existence of polarized voting than elections conducted after the filing of an action. (3) The election of candidates who are members of a protected class and who were elected prior to the filing of an action pursuant to this chapter shall not preclude a finding of polarized voting that results in an unequal opportunity for a protected class to elect candidates of their choice. (4) The equal opportunity to elect shall be assessed pragmatically, based on local election conditions, and may include crossover districts. No single factor is dispositive or necessary to establish a violation of this section. (5) The fact that members of a protected class are not geographically compact or concentrated to constitute a majority in a proposed or existing district-based election district shall not preclude a finding of a violation under this chapter, but may be a factor in determining a remedy. (6) Proof of intent on the part of the voters or elected officials to discriminate against a protected class is not required for a cause of action to be sustained. (7) Other factors such as the history of discrimination, the use of electoral devices or other voting practices or procedures that may enhance the dilutive effects of at large elections, denial of access to those processes determining which groups of candidates will receive financial or other support in a given election, the extent to which members of a protected class bear the effects of past discrimination in areas such as education, employment, and health, which hinder their ability to participate effectively in the political process, and the use of overt or subtle racial appeals in political campaigns are probative, but not necessary factors, to establish a violation of this chapter. (8) A class of people protected by this section may include a coalition of members of different racial, color, or language minority groups. A coalition of members of different protected classes is not required to demonstrate that each individual racial, color, or language minority group which comprises the coalition is cohesive, only that the coalition as a whole is cohesive.
RCW 29A.60.800 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 60 / Section 800
RCW 29A.60.800: Uniform ballot envelope design work group.
Status: in_force

(1) A work group is established to approve a uniform ballot envelope design to be used by all counties in each election beginning with the 2026 primary election. (2) The work group must be chaired by the secretary of state, or the secretary's designee, and include at a minimum the following members, appointed by the secretary of state: (a) Two county auditors or their designees, with one auditor residing in western Washington and one auditor residing in eastern Washington; (b) A representative from the University of Washington Evans school of public policy and governance; (c) A representative from a nonprofit educational research organization with expertise in designing voting materials; and (d) Other recognized experts and staff as deemed necessary by the work group's chair. (3) This section expires January 1, 2027.
RCW 29A.72.080 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 72 / Section 080
RCW 29A.72.080: Ballot title and summary—Appeal to superior court.
Status: in_force

Any persons, including the attorney general or either or both houses of the legislature, dissatisfied with the ballot title or summary for a state initiative or referendum may, within five days from the filing of the ballot title in the office of the secretary of state, appeal to the superior court of Thurston county by petition setting forth the measure, the ballot title or summary, and their objections to the ballot title or summary and requesting amendment of the ballot title or summary by the court. Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays are not counted in calculating the time limits contained in this section. A copy of the petition on appeal together with a notice that an appeal has been taken shall be served upon the secretary of state, upon the attorney general, and upon the person proposing the measure if the appeal is initiated by someone other than that person. Upon the filing of the petition on appeal or at the time to which the hearing may be adjourned by consent of the appellant, the court shall accord first priority to examining the proposed measure, the ballot title or summary, and the objections to that ballot title or summary, may hear arguments, and shall, within five days, render its decision and file with the secretary of state a certified copy of such ballot title or summary as it determines will meet the requirements of RCW 29A.72.060 . The decision of the superior court shall be final. Such appeal shall be heard without costs to either party.
RCW 29A.56.460 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 460
RCW 29A.56.460: Delegates—Declarations of candidacy.
Status: in_force

Anyone desiring to file as a candidate for election as a delegate to the convention shall, not less than thirty nor more than sixty days before the date fixed for holding the election, file a declaration of candidacy with the secretary of state. Filing must be made on a form to be prescribed by the secretary of state and include a sworn statement of the candidate as being either for or against the amendment that will be submitted to a vote of the convention and that the candidate will, if elected as a delegate, vote in accordance with the declaration. The form must be so worded that the candidate must give a plain unequivocal statement of his or her views as either for or against the proposal upon which he or she will, if elected, be called upon to vote. No candidate may in any such filing make any statement or declaration as to party politics or political faith or beliefs. The fee for filing as a candidate is ten dollars and must be transmitted to the secretary of state with the filing papers and be by the secretary of state transmitted to the state treasurer for the use of the general fund.
RCW 29B.60.010 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 60 / Section 010
RCW 29B.60.010: Civil remedies and sanctions—Referral for criminal prosecution.
Status: in_force

(1) In addition to the penalties in subsection (2) of this section, and any other remedies provided by law, one or more of the following civil remedies and sanctions may be imposed by court order in addition to any other remedies provided by law: (a) If the court finds that the violation of any provision of this title by any candidate, committee, or incidental committee probably affected the outcome of any election, the result of that election may be held void and a special election held within 60 days of the finding. Any action to void an election shall be commenced within one year of the date of the election in question. It is intended that this remedy be imposed freely in all appropriate cases to protect the right of the electorate to an informed and knowledgeable vote. (b) If any lobbyist or sponsor of any grass roots lobbying campaign violates any of the provisions of this title, the lobbyist's or sponsor's registration may be revoked or suspended and the lobbyist or sponsor may be enjoined from receiving compensation or making expenditures for lobbying. The imposition of a sanction shall not excuse the lobbyist from filing statements and reports required by this title. (c) A person who violates any of the provisions of this title may be subject to a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars for each violation. However, a person or entity who violates RCW 29B.40.020 may be subject to a civil penalty of ten thousand dollars or three times the amount of the contribution illegally made or accepted, whichever is greater. (d) When assessing a civil penalty, the court may consider the nature of the violation and any relevant circumstances, including the following factors: (i) The respondent's compliance history, including whether the noncompliance was isolated or limited in nature, indicative of systematic or ongoing problems, or part of a pattern of violations by the respondent, resulted from a knowing or intentional effort to conceal, deceive or mislead, or from collusive behavior, or in the case of a political committee or other entity, part of a pattern of violations by the respondent's officers, staff, principal decision makers, consultants, or sponsoring organization; (ii) The impact on the public, including whether the noncompliance deprived the public of timely or accurate information during a time-sensitive period or otherwise had a significant or material impact on the public; (iii) Experience with campaign finance law and procedures or the financing, staffing, or size of the respondent's campaign or organization; (iv) The amount of financial activity by the respondent during the statement period or election cycle; (v) Whether the late or unreported activity was within three times the contribution limit per election, including in proportion to the total amount of expenditures by the respondent in the campaign or statement period; (vi) Whether the respondent or any person benefited politically or economically from the noncompliance; (vii) Whether there was a personal emergency or illness of the respondent or member of the respondent's immediate family; (viii) Whether other emergencies such as fire, flood, or utility failure prevented filing; (ix) Whether there was commission staff or equipment error, including technical problems at the commission that prevented or delayed electronic filing; (x) The respondent's demonstrated good-faith uncertainty concerning commission staff guidance or instructions; (xi) Whether the respondent is a first-time filer; (xii) Good faith efforts to comply, including consultation with commission staff prior to initiation of enforcement action and cooperation with commission staff during enforcement action and a demonstrated wish to acknowledge and take responsibility for the violation; (xiii) Penalties imposed in factually similar cases; and (xiv) Other factors relevant to the particular case. (e) A person who fails to file a properly completed statement or report within the time required by this title may be subject to a civil penalty of ten dollars per day for each day each delinquency continues. (f) Each state agency director who knowingly fails to file statements required by RCW 29B.50.090 shall be subject to personal liability in the form of a civil penalty in the amount of one hundred dollars per statement. These penalties are in addition to any other civil remedies or sanctions imposed on the agency. (g) A person who fails to report a contribution or expenditure as required by this title may be subject to a civil penalty equivalent to the amount not reported as required. (h) Any state agency official, officer, or employee who is responsible for or knowingly directs or expends public funds in violation of RCW 29B.50.090 (2) or (3) may be subject to personal liability in the form of a civil penalty in an amount that is at least equivalent to the amount of public funds expended in the violation. (i) The court may enjoin any person to prevent the doing of any act herein prohibited, or to compel the performance of any act required herein. (2) The commission may refer the following violations for criminal prosecution: (a) A person who, with actual malice, violates a provision of this title is guilty of a misdemeanor under chapter 9.92 RCW; (b) A person who, within a five-year period, with actual malice, violates three or more provisions of this title is guilty of a gross misdemeanor under chapter 9.92 RCW; and (c) A person who, with actual malice, procures or offers any false or forged document to be filed, registered, or recorded with the commission under this title is guilty of a class C felony under chapter 9.94A RCW.
RCW 29B.10.450 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 450
RCW 29B.10.450: Public record.
Status: in_force

"Public record" has the definition in RCW 42.56.010 .
RCW 29B.50.090 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 50 / Section 090
RCW 29B.50.090: Legislative activities of state agencies, other units of government, elective officials, employees.
Status: in_force

(1) The house of representatives and the senate shall report annually: The total budget; the portion of the total attributed to staff; and the number of full-time and part-time staff positions by assignment, with dollar figures as well as number of positions. (2) Unless authorized by subsection (3) of this section or otherwise expressly authorized by law, no public funds may be used directly or indirectly for lobbying. However, this does not prevent officers or employees of an agency from communicating with a member of the legislature on the request of that member; or communicating to the legislature, through the proper official channels, requests for legislative action or appropriations that are deemed necessary for the efficient conduct of the public business or actually made in the proper performance of their official duties. This subsection does not apply to the legislative branch. (3) Any agency, not otherwise expressly authorized by law, may expend public funds for lobbying, but such lobbying activity shall be limited to (a) providing information or communicating on matters pertaining to official agency business to any elected official or officer or employee of any agency or (b) advocating the official position or interests of the agency to any elected official or officer or employee of any agency. Public funds may not be expended as a direct or indirect gift or campaign contribution to any elected official or officer or employee of any agency. For the purposes of this subsection, "gift" means a voluntary transfer of any thing of value without consideration of equal or greater value, but does not include informational material transferred for the sole purpose of informing the recipient about matters pertaining to official agency business. This section does not permit the printing of a state publication that has been otherwise prohibited by law. (4) No elective official or any employee of his or her office or any person appointed to or employed by any public office or agency may use or authorize the use of any of the facilities of a public office or agency, directly or indirectly, in any effort to support or oppose an initiative to the legislature. "Facilities of a public office or agency" has the same meaning as in RCW 29B.45.010 and 42.52.180 . The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the following activities: (a) Action taken at an open public meeting by members of an elected legislative body to express a collective decision, or to actually vote upon a motion, proposal, resolution, order, or ordinance, or to support or oppose an initiative to the legislature so long as (i) any required notice of the meeting includes the title and number of the initiative to the legislature, and (ii) members of the legislative body or members of the public are afforded an approximately equal opportunity for the expression of an opposing view; (b) A statement by an elected official in support of or in opposition to any initiative to the legislature at an open press conference or in response to a specific inquiry; (c) Activities that are part of the normal and regular conduct of the office or agency; (d) Activities conducted regarding an initiative to the legislature that would be permitted under RCW 29B.45.010 and 42.52.180 if conducted regarding other ballot measures. (5) Each state agency, county, city, town, municipal corporation, quasi-municipal corporation, or special purpose district that expends public funds for lobbying shall file with the commission, except as exempted by (d) of this subsection, quarterly statements providing the following information for the quarter just completed: (a) The name of the agency filing the statement; (b) The name, title, and job description and salary of each elected official, officer, or employee who lobbied, a general description of the nature of the lobbying, and the proportionate amount of time spent on the lobbying; (c) A listing of expenditures incurred by the agency for lobbying including but not limited to travel, consultant or other special contractual services, and brochures and other publications, the principal purpose of which is to influence legislation; (d) For purposes of this subsection, "lobbying" does not include: (i) Requests for appropriations by a state agency to the office of financial management pursuant to chapter 43.88 RCW nor requests by the office of financial management to the legislature for appropriations other than its own agency budget requests; (ii) Recommendations or reports to the legislature in response to a legislative request expressly requesting or directing a specific study, recommendation, or report by an agency on a particular subject; (iii) Official reports including recommendations submitted to the legislature on an annual or biennial basis by a state agency as required by law; (iv) Requests, recommendations, or other communication between or within state agencies or between or within local agencies; (v) Any other lobbying to the extent that it includes: (A) Telephone conversations or preparation of written correspondence; (B) In-person lobbying on behalf of an agency of no more than four days or parts thereof during any three-month period by officers or employees of that agency and in-person lobbying by any elected official of such agency on behalf of such agency or in connection with the powers, duties, or compensation of such official. The total expenditures of nonpublic funds made in connection with such lobbying for or on behalf of any one or more members of the legislature or state elected officials or public officers or employees of the state of Washington may not exceed fifteen dollars for any three-month period. The exemption under this subsection (5)(d)(v)(B) is in addition to the exemption provided in (d)(v)(A) of this subsection; (C) Preparation or adoption of policy positions. The statements shall be in the form and the manner prescribed by the commission and shall be filed within one month after the end of the quarter covered by the report. (6) In lieu of reporting under subsection (5) of this section, any county, city, town, municipal corporation, quasi municipal corporation, or special purpose district may determine and so notify the public disclosure commission that elected officials, officers, or employees who, on behalf of any such local agency, engage in lobbying reportable under subsection (5) of this section shall register and report such reportable lobbying in the same manner as a lobbyist who is required to register and report under RCW 29B.50.010 and 29B.50.050 . Each such local agency shall report as a lobbyist employer pursuant to RCW 29B.50.080 . (7) The provisions of this section do not relieve any elected official or officer or employee of an agency from complying with other provisions of this title, if such elected official, officer, or employee is not otherwise exempted. (8) The purpose of this section is to require each state agency and certain local agencies to report the identities of those persons who lobby on behalf of the agency for compensation, together with certain separately identifiable and measurable expenditures of an agency's funds for that purpose. This section shall be reasonably construed to accomplish that purpose and not to require any agency to report any of its general overhead cost or any other costs that relate only indirectly or incidentally to lobbying or that are equally attributable to or inseparable from nonlobbying activities of the agency. The public disclosure commission may adopt rules clarifying and implementing this legislative interpretation and policy.
RCW 29B.10.420 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 420
RCW 29B.10.420: Political committee.
Status: in_force

"Political committee" means any person (except a candidate or an individual dealing with the candidate's or individual's own funds or property) having the expectation of receiving contributions or making expenditures in support of, or opposition to, any candidate or any ballot proposition.
RCW 29A.60.166 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 60 / Section 166
RCW 29A.60.166: Voter signature verification—Standards.
Status: in_force

(1) The secretary of state shall: (a) Adopt and regularly review statewide standards for determining whether the voter's signature on the ballot declaration is the same as the signature of that voter in the county's registration files as required by RCW 29A.40.110 (3); (b) Adopt, publish, and regularly update a training manual, reviewed by appropriate experts, for the use of local election personnel in implementing the standards adopted under (a) of this subsection; and (c) Design and implement tools intended to confirm compliance with these standards. These tools shall be available to county auditors for compliance, and may include comparisons, at random intervals, of whether rejections of signatures on ballot declarations for failure to match the voter's signature in the county's registration files comply with the standards adopted under (a) of this subsection. (2) All training materials for canvassing review board members and election personnel on the statewide standards for signature verification established in this section must be open to the public for observation.
RCW 29B.20.080 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 20 / Section 080
RCW 29B.20.080: Date of receipt—Exceptions—Electronic filings.
Status: in_force

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the date of receipt of any properly addressed application, report, statement, notice, or payment required to be made under the provisions of this title is the date shown by the post office cancellation mark on the envelope of the submitted material. The provisions of this section do not apply to reports required to be delivered under RCW 29B.25.140 and 29B.50.070 . (2) When a report is filed electronically with the commission, it is deemed to have been received on the file transfer date. The commission shall notify the filer of receipt of the electronically filed report. Such notification may be sent by mail or electronically. If the notification of receipt of the electronically filed report is not received by the filer, the filer may offer proof of sending the report, and such proof shall be treated as if it were a receipt sent by the commission. Electronic filing may be used for purposes of filing the special reports required to be delivered under RCW 29B.25.140 and 29B.50.070 .
RCW 29B.10.180 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 180
RCW 29B.10.180: Elected official.
Status: in_force

"Elected official" means any person elected at a general or special election to any public office, and any person appointed to fill a vacancy in any such office.
RCW 29A.56.270 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 270
RCW 29A.56.270: Enforcement provisions—Mandamus—Appellate review.
Status: in_force

The superior court of the county in which the officer subject to recall resides has original jurisdiction to compel the performance of any act required of any public officer or to prevent the performance by any such officer of any act in relation to the recall not in compliance with law. The supreme court has like original jurisdiction in relation to state officers and revisory jurisdiction over the decisions of the superior courts. Any proceeding to compel or prevent the performance of any such act shall be begun within ten days from the time the cause of complaint arises, and shall be considered an emergency matter of public concern and take precedence over other cases, and be speedily heard and determined. Appellate review of a decision of any superior court shall be begun and perfected within fifteen days after its decision in a recall election case and shall be considered an emergency matter of public concern by the supreme court, and heard and determined within thirty days after the decision of the superior court.
RCW 29A.84.060 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 84 / Section 060
RCW 29A.84.060: Native American voting rights—Civil actions.
Status: in_force

(1) The attorney general may bring a civil action for such declaratory or injunctive relief as is necessary to carry out the provisions of RCW 29A.40.170 (3) and (4) in the superior court of the county in which the violation is alleged to have occurred. (2) A person or federally recognized tribal government may bring a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief with respect to RCW 29A.08.112 (3), 29.08.310 (2), or 29A.40.170 (3) and (4), in the superior court of the county in which the violation is alleged to have occurred if: (a) In the case of a violation that occurs more than one hundred twenty days before an election, that person or tribal government provides notice of the violation to the secretary of state, the violation remains, and ninety days or more have passed since the secretary of state has received the written notice; (b) In the case of a violation that occurs one hundred twenty days or fewer before an election, that person or tribal government provides notice of the violation to the secretary of state, the violation remains and twenty days or more have passed since the secretary of state has received the written notice; or (c) In the case of a violation that occurs thirty days or fewer before an election, without providing notice of the violation to the secretary of state.
RCW 29A.64.100 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 64 / Section 100
RCW 29A.64.100: Statewide measures—Funds for additional expenses.
Status: in_force

Each county auditor shall file with the secretary of state a statement listing only the additional expenses incurred whenever a mandatory recount of the votes cast on a state measure is made as provided in RCW 29A.64.090 . The secretary of state shall include in his or her biennial budget request a provision for sufficient funds to carry out the provisions of this section. Payments hereunder shall be from appropriations specifically provided for such purpose by law.
RCW 29A.04.133 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 133
RCW 29A.04.133: Qualified.
Status: in_force

"Qualified" when pertaining to a winner of an election means that for such election: (1) The results have been certified; (2) Any required bond has been posted; and (3) The winner has taken and subscribed an oath or affirmation in compliance with the appropriate statute, or if none is specified, that he or she will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of the office to the best of his or her ability. This oath or affirmation shall be administered and certified by any officer or notary public authorized to administer oaths, without charge therefor.
RCW 29B.10.300 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 10 / Section 300
RCW 29B.10.300: Incumbent.
Status: in_force

"Incumbent" means a person who is in present possession of an elected office.
RCW 29B.25.100 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 25 / Section 100
RCW 29B.25.100: Contents of report.
Status: in_force

Each report required under RCW 29B.25.090 (1) through (4) must be certified as correct by the treasurer and the candidate and shall disclose the following, except an incidental committee only must disclose and certify as correct the information required under subsections (2)(d) and (7) of this section: (1) The funds on hand at the beginning of the period; (2) The name and address of each person who has made one or more contributions during the period, together with the money value and date of each contribution and the aggregate value of all contributions received from each person during the campaign, or in the case of a continuing political committee, the current calendar year, with the following exceptions: (a) Pledges in the aggregate of less than one hundred dollars from any one person need not be reported; (b) Income that results from a fund-raising activity conducted in accordance with RCW 29B.25.080 may be reported as one lump sum, with the exception of that portion received from persons whose names and addresses are required to be included in the report required by RCW 29B.25.080 ; (c) Contributions of no more than twenty-five dollars in the aggregate from any one person during the election campaign may be reported as one lump sum if the treasurer maintains a separate and private list of the name, address, and amount of each such contributor; (d) Payments received by an incidental committee from any one person need not be reported unless the person is one of the committee's 10 largest sources of payments received, including any persons tied as the 10th largest source of payments received, during the current calendar year, and the value of the cumulative payments received from that person during the current calendar year is ten thousand dollars or greater. For payments to incidental committees from multiple persons received in aggregated form, any payment of more than ten thousand dollars from any single person must be reported, but the aggregated payment itself may not be reported. The commission may suspend or modify reporting requirements for payments received by an incidental committee in cases of manifestly unreasonable hardship under this title; (e) Payments from private foundations organized under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code to an incidental committee do not have to be reported if: (i) The private foundation is contracting with the incidental committee for a specific purpose other than election campaign purposes; (ii) Use of the funds for election campaign purposes is explicitly prohibited by contract; and (iii) Funding from the private foundation represents less than 25 percent of the incidental committee's total budget; (f) Commentary or analysis on a ballot proposition by an incidental committee is not considered a contribution if it does not advocate specifically to vote for or against the ballot proposition; and (g) The money value of contributions of postage is the face value of the postage; (3) Each loan, promissory note, or security instrument to be used by or for the benefit of the candidate or political committee made by any person, including the names and addresses of the lender and each person liable directly, indirectly or contingently and the date and amount of each such loan, promissory note, or security instrument; (4) All other contributions not otherwise listed or exempted; (5) A statement that the candidate or political committee has received a certification from any partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other combination of persons making a contribution to the candidate or political committee that: (a) The contribution is not financed in any part by a foreign national; and (b) Foreign nationals are not involved in making decisions regarding the contribution in any way; (6) The name and address of each candidate or political committee to which any transfer of funds was made, including the amounts and dates of the transfers; (7) The name and address of each person to whom an expenditure was made in the aggregate amount of more than fifty dollars during the period covered by this report, the amount, date, and purpose of each expenditure, and the total sum of all expenditures. An incidental committee only must report on expenditures, made and reportable as contributions as defined in RCW 29B.10.160 , to election campaigns. For purposes of this subsection, commentary or analysis on a ballot proposition by an incidental committee is not considered an expenditure if it does not advocate specifically to vote for or against the ballot proposition; (8) The name, address, and electronic contact information of each person to whom an expenditure was made for soliciting or procuring signatures on an initiative or referendum petition, the amount of the compensation to each person, and the total expenditures made for this purpose. Such expenditures shall be reported under this subsection in addition to what is required to be reported under subsection (7) of this section; (9)(a) The name and address of any person and the amount owed for any debt with a value of more than seven hundred fifty dollars that has not been paid for any invoices submitted, goods received, or services performed, within five business days during the period within 30 days before an election, or within 10 business days during any other period. (b) For purposes of this subsection, debt does not include regularly recurring expenditures of the same amount that have already been reported at least once and that are not late or outstanding; (10) The surplus or deficit of contributions over expenditures; (11) The disposition made in accordance with RCW 29B.40.090 of any surplus funds; and (12) Any other information required by the commission by rule in conformance with the policies and purposes of this title.
RCW 29B.45.050 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 45 / Section 050
RCW 29B.45.050: Public service announcements.
Status: in_force

No state elected official or municipal officer may speak or appear in a public service announcement that is broadcast, shown, or distributed in any form whatsoever during the period beginning January 1st and continuing through the general election if that official or officer is a candidate. If the official or officer does not control the broadcast, showing, or distribution of a public service announcement in which he or she speaks or appears, then the official or officer shall contractually limit the use of the public service announcement to be consistent with this section prior to participating in the public service announcement. This section does not apply to public service announcements that are part of the regular duties of the office that only mention or visually display the office or office seal or logo and do not mention or visually display the name of the official or officer in the announcement.
RCW 29A.32.090 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 32 / Section 090
RCW 29A.32.090: Arguments—Rejection, dispute.
Status: in_force

(1) If in the opinion of the secretary of state any argument or statement offered for inclusion in the voters' pamphlet in support of or opposition to a measure or candidate contains obscene matter or matter that is otherwise prohibited by law from distribution through the mail, the secretary may petition the superior court of Thurston county for a judicial determination that the argument or statement may be rejected for publication or edited to delete the matter. The court shall not enter such an order unless it concludes that the matter is obscene or otherwise prohibited for distribution through the mail. (2) A candidate's statement submitted for inclusion in the voters' pamphlet shall not contain false or misleading statements about the candidate's opponent. A false or misleading statement shall be considered "libel or defamation per se" if the statement tends to expose the candidate to hatred, contempt, ridicule, or obloquy, or to deprive him or her of the benefit of public confidence or social intercourse, or to injure him or her in his or her business or occupation. If a candidate believes his or her opponent has libeled or defamed him or her, the candidate may commence an action under subsection (3) of this section. (3)(a) A person who believes that he or she may be defamed by an argument or statement offered for inclusion in the voters' pamphlet in support of or opposition to a measure or candidate may petition the superior court of Thurston county for a judicial determination that the argument or statement may be rejected for publication or edited to delete the defamatory statement. (b) The court shall not enter such an order unless it concludes that the statement is untrue and that the petitioner has a very substantial likelihood of prevailing in a defamation action. (c) An action under this subsection (3) must be filed and served no later than the tenth day after the deadline for the submission of the argument or statement to the secretary of state. (d) If the secretary of state notifies a person named or identified in an argument or statement of the contents of the argument or statement within three days after the deadline for submission to the secretary, then neither the state nor the secretary is liable for damages resulting from publication of the argument or statement unless the secretary publishes the argument or statement in violation of an order entered under this section. Nothing in this section creates a duty on the part of the secretary of state to identify, locate, or notify the person. (4) Parties to a dispute under this section may agree to resolve the dispute by rephrasing the argument or statement, even if the deadline for submission to the secretary has elapsed, unless the secretary determines that the process of publication is too far advanced to permit the change. The secretary shall promptly provide any such revision to any committee entitled to submit a rebuttal argument. If that committee has not yet submitted its rebuttal, its deadline to submit a rebuttal is extended by five days. If it has submitted a rebuttal, it may revise it to address the change within five days of the filing of the revised argument with the secretary. (5) In an action under this section the committee or candidate must be named as a defendant, and may be served with process by certified mail directed to the address contained in the secretary's records for that party. The secretary of state shall be a nominal party to an action brought under subsection (3) of this section, solely for the purpose of determining the content of the voters' pamphlet. The superior court shall give such an action priority on its calendar.
RCW 29B.30.010 — Washington Code / Title 29B / Chapter 30 / Section 010
RCW 29B.30.010: Findings—Intent—Rule-making authority.
Status: in_force

(1) The legislature finds that: (a) Timely disclosure to voters of the identity and sources of funding for electioneering communications is vitally important to the integrity of state, local, and judicial elections. (b) Electioneering communications that identify political candidates for state, local, or judicial office and that are distributed 60 days before an election for those offices are intended to influence voters and the outcome of those elections. (c) The state has a compelling interest in providing voters information about electioneering communications in political campaigns concerning candidates for state, local, or judicial office so that voters can be fully informed as to the: (i) Source of support or opposition to those candidates; and (ii) identity of persons attempting to influence the outcome of state, local, and judicial candidate elections. (d) Nondisclosure of financial information about advertising that masquerades as relating only to issues and not to candidate campaigns fosters corruption or the appearance of corruption. These consequences can be substantially avoided by full disclosure of the identity and funding of those persons paying for such advertising. (e) The United States supreme court held in McConnell et al. v. Federal Elections Commission , 540 U.S. 93, 124 S.Ct. 619, 157 L.Ed.2d 491 (2003) that speakers seeking to influence elections do not possess an inviolable free speech right to engage in electioneering communications regarding elections, including when issue advocacy is the functional equivalent of express advocacy. Therefore, such election campaign communications can be regulated and the source of funding disclosed. (f) The state has a sufficiently compelling interest in preventing corruption in political campaigns to justify and restore contribution limits and restrictions on the use of soft money in RCW 29B.40.020 . Those interests include restoring restrictions on the use of such funds for electioneering communications, as well as the laws preventing circumvention of those limits and restrictions. (2) Based upon the findings in this section, chapter 445, Laws of 2005 is narrowly tailored to accomplish the following and is intended to: (a) Improve the disclosure to voters of information concerning persons and entities seeking to influence state, local, and judicial campaigns through reasonable and effective mechanisms, including improving disclosure of the source, identity, and funding of electioneering communications concerning state, local, and judicial candidate campaigns; (b) Regulate electioneering communications that mention state, local, and judicial candidates and that are broadcast, mailed, erected, distributed, or otherwise published right before the election so that the public knows who is paying for such communications; (c) Reenact and amend the contribution limits in RCW 29B.40.020 (7) and (15) and the restrictions on the use of soft money, including as applied to electioneering communications, as those limits and restrictions were in effect following the passage of chapter 2, Laws of 1993 (Initiative Measure No. 134) and before the state supreme court decision in Washington State Republican Party v. Washington State Public Disclosure Commission , 141 Wn.2d 245, 4 P.3d 808 (2000). The commission is authorized to fully restore the implementation of the limits and restrictions of RCW 29B.40.020 (7) and (15) in light of McConnell et al. v. Federal Elections Commission , 540 U.S. 93, 124 S.Ct. 619, 157 L.Ed.2d 491 (2003). The United States supreme court upheld the disclosure and regulation of electioneering communications in political campaigns, including but not limited to issue advocacy that is the functional equivalent of express advocacy; and (d) Authorize the commission to adopt rules to implement chapter 445, Laws of 2005.
RCW 29A.04.255 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 255
RCW 29A.04.255: Electronic documents—Acceptance.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state or a county auditor shall accept and file in his or her office electronic transmissions of the following documents: (1) Declarations of candidacy; (2) County canvass reports; (3) Voters' pamphlet statements; (4) Arguments for and against ballot measures that will appear in a voters' pamphlet; (5) Requests for recounts; (6) Certification of candidates and measures by the secretary of state; (7) Direction by the secretary of state for the conduct of a recount; (8) Requests for ballots; (9) Any other election related document authorized by rule adopted by the secretary of state under RCW 29A.04.611 . The acceptance by the secretary of state or the county auditor is conditional upon the document being filed in a timely manner, being legible, and otherwise satisfying the requirements of state law or rules with respect to form and content. The secretary may by rule require that the original of any document, a copy of which is filed by electronic transmission under this section, also be filed by a deadline established by the secretary by rule.
RCW 29A.24.191 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 24 / Section 191
RCW 29A.24.191: Scheduled election lapses, when.
Status: in_force

A scheduled election shall be lapsed, the office deemed stricken from the ballot, no purported write-in votes counted, and no candidate certified as elected, when a void in candidacy occurs following the special three-day filing period required by RCW 29A.24.181 .
RCW 29A.04.450 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 04 / Section 450
RCW 29A.04.450: Local government grant program.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state shall establish a competitive local government grant program to solicit and prioritize project proposals from county election offices. Potential projects [project] proposals must be new projects designed to help the county election office comply with the requirements of the Help America Vote Act (P.L. 107-252). Grant funds will not be allocated to fund existing statutory functions of local elections [election] offices, and in order to be eligible for a grant, local election offices must maintain an elections budget at or above the local elections budget by July 1, 2004.
RCW 29A.56.450 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 450
RCW 29A.56.450: Delegates—Number and qualifications.
Status: in_force

Each state representative district shall be entitled to as many delegates in the convention as it has members in the house of representatives of the state legislature. No person shall be qualified to act as a delegate in said convention who does not possess the qualifications required of representatives in the state legislature from the same district.
RCW 29A.08.270 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 08 / Section 270
RCW 29A.08.270: Information in various languages.
Status: in_force

In order to encourage the broadest possible voting participation by all eligible citizens, the secretary of state shall produce voter registration information in the various languages required of state agencies.
RCW 29A.56.600 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 56 / Section 600
RCW 29A.56.600: Convention.
Status: in_force

A "convention" for the purposes of this chapter , is an organized assemblage of registered voters representing an independent candidate or candidates or a new or minor political party, organization, or principle.
RCW 29A.28.030 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 28 / Section 030
RCW 29A.28.030: United States senate.
Status: in_force

When a vacancy occurs in the representation of this state in the senate of the United States, the governor shall make a temporary appointment to that office until the people fill the vacancy by election as provided in this chapter.
RCW 29A.60.195 — Washington Code / Title 29A / Chapter 60 / Section 195
RCW 29A.60.195: Provisional ballots—Disposition.
Status: in_force

Before certification of the primary or election, the county auditor must examine and investigate all received provisional ballots to determine whether the ballot can be counted. The auditor shall provide the disposition of the provisional ballot and, if the ballot was not counted, the reason why it was not counted, on a free access system such as a toll-free telephone number, website, mail, or other means. The auditor must notify the voter in accordance with RCW 29A.60.165 when the declaration is unsigned or when the signatures do not match.