Current through Register Vol. 24-06, March 15, 2024
(1) If a
location offers replacement ballots, reissued ballots, provisional ballots, or
voting on a direct recording electronic device, it is considered a voting
center.
(2) At least one voting
center must be open during business hours during the voting period, which
begins eighteen days before, and ends at 8:00 p.m. on the day of the special,
primary, or general election. Additional voting centers, and additional
locations that are not voting centers, established by the county auditor to
provide other services are not required to be open for the full eighteen-day
voting period. In addition to the requirements of
RCW 29A.40.160,
each voting center must:
(a) Be an accessible
location. "Accessible" means the combination of factors which create an
environment free of barriers to the mobility or functioning of voters. The
environment consists of the routes of travel to and through the buildings or
facilities used for voting. The Americans with Disabilities Act Checklist for
Polling Places shall be used when determining the accessibility of a voting
center. A voting center is fully accessible if all responses in each category
are "Yes";
(b) Be located in a
public building or building that is leased by a public entity including, but
not limited to, libraries;
(c) Be
marked with signage outside the building indicating the location as a place for
voting;
(d) Issue ballots that
include a declaration in the ballot materials;
(e) Offer disability access voting in a
location or manner that provides for voter privacy. For each voting center, the
county auditor must have a contingency plan to accommodate accessible voting in
the event that an accessible voting unit malfunctions or must be removed from
service;
(f) Offer provisional
ballots, which may be sample ballots that meet provisional ballot
requirements;
(g) Have electronic
or telephonic access to the voter registration system, consistent with WAC
434-250-095,
if the voting center offers voting on a direct recording electronic voting
device. The county auditor shall require the voter to print and sign the ballot
declaration provided in WAC 434230-015. Ballot declaration signatures may not
be maintained in the order in which they were signed. Before the voter may vote
on a direct recording electronic voting device, the county auditor must either:
(i) Verify the signature on the ballot
declaration against the signature in the voter registration record;
or
(ii) Require the voter to
provide photo identification, consistent with
RCW
29A.40.160.
(h) Provide voters' pamphlets;
(i) Provide sample ballots if a full sample
ballot is not published in the local voters' pamphlet;
(j) Provide voter registration services
pursuant to
RCW
29A.08.140. If the voter registration system
is unable to process applications, the county auditor shall offer conditional
registration and balloting services;
(k) Display a HAVA voter information poster,
containing an example of an actual ballot or a sample ballot in substantially
the same format as an actual ballot;
(l) Display the date of that
election;
(m) During a primary that
includes a partisan office, and a general election that includes a partisan
office, display the appropriate party preference notice provided in WAC
434-230-015.
The party preference notices may also be posted on-screen in direct recording
electronic voting devices;
(n)
Provide instructions on how to properly mark the ballot; and
(o) Provide election materials in alternative
languages if required by the Voting Rights Act.
(3) Where it appears that a particular voter
is having difficulty casting their vote, and as a result, is impeding other
voters from voting, the staff may provide assistance to that voter in the same
manner as provided by law for those voters who request assistance. Where it
appears that a voter is impeding other voters from voting to simply cause
delay, the staff shall ask the voter to expedite the voting process. In the
event the voter refuses to cooperate, the staff shall, whenever practical,
contact the county auditor, who may request assistance from the appropriate law
enforcement agencies if he or she deems such action necessary.
(4) At exactly 8:00 p.m. on election day, all
ballot boxes must be emptied or secured to prevent the deposit of additional
ballots; however, any voter who is in a voting center or in line at a voting
center at 8:00 p.m. must be allowed to vote and deposit their ballot. Voted
ballots, including provisional, mail-in, and direct recording electronic and
paper records, must be placed into secured transport carriers for return to the
county auditor's office or another designated location.
(5) The requirements for staffed ballot
deposit sites per WAC
434-250-100
apply to voting centers.
(6) The
county auditor may establish which services will be provided at additional
locations, which days and hours the additional locations will be open, and
shall publish the information for voters.
Statutory Authority:
RCW
29A.04.611. 12-14-074, § 434-250-105,
filed 7/2/12, effective 8/2/12. Statutory Authority:
RCW
29A.04.611,
29A.04.620, and
29A.04.630. 11-24-064, §
434-250-105, filed 12/6/11, effective
1/6/12.
