Washington Ballot Auditing Company Initiative (2023)
| Washington Ballot Auditing Company Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 7, 2023 | |
| Topic Elections and campaigns | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Ballot Auditing Company Initiative was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute, on November 7, 2023.
This initiative was designed to require a company to conduct a hand-audit of ballots before the certification of results of each general election.[1]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for the initiative is below:[1]
| “ | Initiative Measure No. 1505 concerns electoral audits.
This measure would require that, prior to certification of each general election, county election officials conduct a hand-count audit of certain ballots tabulated in each county, with findings later reported to the legislature. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ] [2] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for the initiative is below:[1]
| “ | This measure would require that, prior to a general election’s certification, a company oversee a hand-count audit conducted by county officials of ballots in at least three races in twelve precincts per county. The company, races, and precincts would be selected through processes involving the major political parties. Public and party observers of the audit would be permitted to examine certain ballots. The company would report findings and recommendations to the legislature by December 31st. | ” |
Full text
The full text is available here.
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify an indirectly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the Legislature in Washington—for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Initial filings for indirect initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the regular session at which their proposal would be presented to lawmakers. Signatures must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the beginning of the legislative session in the year of the targeted election.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the Legislature certified for the 2023 ballot:
- Signatures: 324,516 valid signatures
- Deadline: December 30, 2022
The secretary of state verifies the signatures using a random sample method. If the sample indicates that the measure has sufficient signatures, the measure is certified to appear before the legislature. If the legislature does not approve the measure, it is certified to appear on the ballot. However, if the sample indicates that the measure has insufficient signatures, every signature is checked. Under Washington law, a random sample result may not invalidate a petition.
Details about this initiative
- Sharon Hanek filed the initiative.[1]
- Signatures for the initiative were not submitted before the deadline.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
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State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
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