(1) At least ten days prior to any primary or election, general or special, the county auditor shall appoint one inspector and two judges of election for each precinct (or each combination of precincts temporarily consolidated as a single precinct for that primary or election), other than those precincts designated as vote-by-mail precincts pursuant to RCW 29A.48.010. Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, the persons appointed shall be among those whose names are contained on the lists furnished under RCW 29A.44.430 by the chairpersons of the county central committees of the political parties entitled to representation thereon. Such precinct election officers, whenever possible, should be residents of the precinct in which they serve.

     (2) The county auditor may delete from the lists of names submitted to the auditor by the chairpersons of the county central committees under RCW 29A.44.430: (a) The names of those persons who indicate to the auditor that they cannot or do not wish to serve as precinct election officers for the primary or election or who otherwise cannot so serve; and (b) the names of those persons who lack the ability to conduct properly the duties of an inspector or judge of election after training in that proper conduct has been made available to them by the auditor. The lists which are submitted to the auditor in a timely manner under RCW 29A.44.430, less the deletions authorized by this subsection, constitute the official nomination lists for inspectors and judges of election.

     (3) If the number of persons whose names are on the official nomination list for a political party is not sufficient to satisfy the requirements of subsection (4) of this section as it applies to that political party or is otherwise insufficient to provide the number of precinct election officials required from that political party, the auditor shall notify the chair of the party's county central committee regarding the deficiency. The chair may, within five business days of being notified by the auditor, add to the party's nomination list the names of additional persons belonging to that political party who are qualified to serve on the election boards. To the extent that, following this procedure, the number of persons whose names appear on the official nomination lists of the political parties is insufficient to provide the number of election inspectors and judges required for a primary or election, the auditor may appoint a properly trained person whose name does not appear on such a list as an inspector or judge of election for a precinct.

     (4) The county auditor shall designate the inspector and one judge in each precinct from that political party which polled the highest number of votes in the county for its candidate for president at the last preceding presidential election and one judge from that political party polling the next highest number of votes in the county for its candidate for president at the same election. The provisions of this subsection apply only if the number of names on the official nomination list for inspectors and judges of election for a political party is sufficient to satisfy the requirements imposed by this subsection.

     (5) Except as provided in RCW 29A.44.440 for the filling of vacancies, this shall be the exclusive method for the appointment of inspectors and judges to serve as precinct election officers at any primary or election, general or special, and shall supersede the provisions of any and all other statutes, whether general or special in nature, having different requirements.

[2003 c 111 § 1134; 1991 c 106 § 1; 1983 1st ex.s. c 71 § 7; 1965 ex.s. c 101 § 1; 1965 c 9 § 29.45.010. Prior: (i) 1935 c 165 § 2, part; RRS § 5147-1, part. (ii) Code 1881 § 3068, part; 1865 p 30 § 2, part; RRS § 5158, part. (iii) 1907 c 209 § 15, part; RRS § 5192, part. (iv) 1895 c 156 § 6, part; 1889 p 407 § 20, part; RRS § 5277, part. (v) 1947 c 182 § 1, part; Rem. Supp. 1947 § 5166-10, part; prior: 1945 c 164 § 3, part; 1941 c 180 § 1, part; 1935 c 5 § 1, part; 1933 ex.s. c 29 § 1, part; prior: 1933 c 79 § 1, part; 1927 c 279 § 2, part; 1923 c 53 § 3, part; 1921 c 61 § 5, part; Rem. Supp. 1945 § 5147, part. Formerly RCW 29.45.010.]