Inquiry of the Week (02/28/00)

Question:

Must the city pay for a portion of the costs of an election if the city issue is on the general election ballot?

Answer:

Yes. The state statutes are very clear that the city must pay a proportionate share of the costs of special elections held on city issues even if the special election is held in conjunction with a general election. See RCW 29.13.045. If the city special election is held on an isolated date not in conjunction with a general election, the city must pay the entire cost of the election.

This statute specifically provides:

The purpose of this section is to clearly establish that the county is not responsible for any costs involved in the holding of any city, town or district election.