Opinion ID: 2551237
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Charge Nine

Text: ¶ 20 Charge nine asserts that Secretary Reed failed to withhold certification of the manual recount of votes in the governor's election. ¶ 21 State law requires that the canvassing boards of each county certify the results of the votes cast in their respective counties. RCW 29A.60.190. The county canvassing boards are charged by law with the duty to verify the results from the precincts and the absentee ballots. RCW 29A.60.200. By contrast, the secretary of state's statutory duties are limited to compiling county election returns on a statewide basis. RCW 29A.60.250. See also WAC 434-262-100. ¶ 22 More fundamentally, the state constitution imposes upon the secretary of state a ministerial duty to certify the returns as submitted by the counties. Thus, the secretary of state has a constitutional duty to deliver the counties' respective returns to the speaker of the house. In light of the constitution's mandatory provisions, appellants' charge nine would require Secretary Reed to disregard a constitutional duty. Thus, charge nine is legally insufficient.