(1)
The office of the secretary of state shall maintain a statewide
voter registration database. This database must be a
centralized, uniform, interactive computerized statewide voter
registration list that contains the name and registration
information of every registered voter in the state.
(2) The statewide list is the official list of registered
voters for the conduct of all elections.
(3) The statewide list must include, but is not limited to,
the name, date of birth, residence address, signature, gender,
and date of registration of every legally registered voter in the
state.
(4) A unique identifier must be assigned to each registered
voter in the state.
(5) The database must be coordinated with other government
databases within the state including, but not limited to, the
department of corrections, the department of licensing, the
department of health, the administrative office of the courts,
and county auditors. The database may also be coordinated with
the databases of election officials in other states.
(6) Authorized employees of the secretary of state and each
county auditor must have immediate electronic access to the
information maintained in the database.
(7) Voter registration information received by each county
auditor must be electronically entered into the database. The
office of the secretary of state must provide support, as needed,
to enable each county auditor to enter and maintain voter
registration information in the state database.
(8) The secretary of state has data authority over all voter
registration data.
(9) The voter registration database must be designed to
accomplish at a minimum, the following:
(a) Comply with the help America vote act of 2002 (P.L.
107-252);
(b) Identify duplicate voter registrations;
(c) Identify suspected duplicate voters;
(d) Screen against any available databases maintained by
other government agencies to identify voters who are ineligible
to vote due to a felony conviction, lack of citizenship, or
mental incompetence;
(e) Provide images of voters' signatures for the purpose of
checking signatures on initiative and referendum petitions;
(f) Provide for a comparison between the voter registration
database and the department of licensing change of address
database;
(g) Provide access for county auditors that includes the
capability to update registrations and search for duplicate
registrations; and
(h) Provide for the cancellation of registrations of voters
who have moved out of state.
(10) The secretary of state may, upon agreement with other
appropriate jurisdictions, screen against any available databases
maintained by election officials in other states and databases
maintained by federal agencies including, but not limited to, the
federal bureau of investigation, the federal court system, the
federal bureau of prisons, and the bureau of citizenship and
immigration services.
(11) The database shall retain information regarding
previous successful appeals of proposed cancellations of
registrations in order to avoid repeated cancellations for the
same reason.
(12) Each county auditor shall maintain a list of all
registered voters within the county that are contained on the
official statewide voter registration list. In addition to the
information maintained in the statewide database, the county
database must also maintain the applicable taxing district and
precinct codes for each voter in the county, and a list of
elections in which the individual voted.
(13) Each county auditor shall allow electronic access and
information transfer between the county's voter registration
system and the official statewide voter registration list.
[2009 c 369 § 12; 2005 c 246 § 9; 2004 c 267 § 110; 2003 c 111 § 209; 1993 c 408 § 11; 1991 c 81 § 22; 1974 ex.s. c 127 § 12. Formerly RCW 29.07.220.]
NOTES:
Effective date -- 2005 c 246: See note following RCW 10.64.140.
Effective dates -- 2004 c 267: See note following RCW 29A.08.010.
Severability -- Effective dates -- 1993 c 408: See notes following RCW 2.36.054.
Effective date -- 1991 c 81: See note following RCW 29A.84.540.