Current through Register Vol. 24-06, March 15, 2024
Pursuant to
RCW
29A.40.180, the county auditor and any
educational institution within the county that are statutorily required to host
a hub must enter a contract to operate a student engagement hub.
(1) For all institutions operating student
engagement hubs, the contract must include:
(a) A method for voters to download and print
the voter's ballot for the exact precinct and precinct split from the voter's
county of registration from an online portal;
(b) Provisions for protecting the privacy and
secrecy of any voted ballot;
(c)
Provision of instruction for voters on how to return a ballot;
(d) Provision of services to those in line at
8:00 p.m. on election day to obtain a ballot, vote, and deposit their voted
ballot;
(e) Provision of a secured
ballot drop box at the hub, following current ballot drop box procedures for
emptying the contents and closing the box at the conclusion of hub
operations;
(f) Ensuring that when
a voter is in line at the hub at 8:00 p.m. or earlier on election day, their
ballot may be deposited in the drop box after 8:00 p.m., but no other voters
can use the drop box after 8:00 p.m.
(g) Ensuring operation of the hub in a
nonpartisan manner while allowing no campaign materials or campaigning within a
minimum of at least 25 feet of the entrances and exits of the hub facility, or
within the hub;
(h) Provision of
accessible facilities compliant with the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
(2) For institutions
operating student engagement hubs that are statutorily required to include
voter registration services, the contract must also include:
(a) An agreed upon method of voter
registration services for all eligible citizens at the hub;
(b) Setting the hours of operation as the
county auditor's normal working hours and, on Election Day, starting at normal
business opening and extended until 8:00 p.m.;
(c) An agreement detailing the days that the
hub will be in operation up to the statutory maximum of eight days prior to the
election;
(d) Provision to the hub
of at least the following services by agreement between the county auditor and
the university or college:
(i)
Staffing;
(ii) Availability of
provisional ballots;
(iii)
Provision of notice of the availability of services;
(iv) Provision of appropriate voter
information including voter pamphlets; and
(v) Provision of services to those in line at
8:00 p.m. on election day to register to vote, obtain a ballot, vote, and
deposit their voted ballot.
(3) The prohibitions listed in chapter 29A.84
RCW for voting centers and ballot drop boxes also apply to student engagement
hubs.
(4) Hub staff may provide
postage stamps for voters that choose to mail their ballot.