Washington § 29A.08.310 - Voter registration services — Designation of agencies, facilities, programs, etc.

(1) The governor, in consultation with the secretary of state, shall designate agencies to provide voter registration services in compliance with federal statutes. The governor, in consultation with the secretary of state, may designate local, federal, or tribal agencies, including but not limited to federal agencies administering naturalization ceremonies, to provide voter registration services, provided that such agencies consent to providing voter registration services.

(2) A federally recognized tribe may request that the governor designate one or more state facilities or state-funded facilities or programs that are located on the lands of the requesting Indian tribe or that are substantially engaged in providing services to Indian tribes, as selected by the tribe, to provide voter registration services. This provision does not alter the state's obligations under the national voter registration act.

(3) Each state agency designated shall provide voter registration services for employees and the public within each office of that agency.

(4) The secretary of state shall design and provide a standard notice informing the public of the availability of voter registration, which notice shall be posted in each state agency where such services are available.

(5) Each institution of higher education shall put in place an active prompt on its course registration website, or similar website that students actively and regularly use, that, if selected, will link the student to the secretary of state's voter registration website. The prompt must ask the student if he or she wishes to register to vote.

(6) If the governor, in consultation with the secretary of state, designates the department of corrections to provide voter registration services under this section, a county auditor shall process a voter registration application from a person transmitted by the department of corrections as an application to sign up to register to vote. A person who signs up to register to vote under this subsection is classified as pending until such time as he or she will be eligible to vote in the next election. An acknowledgment notice shall not be sent prior to receipt of notice from the department of corrections that a person is released from, or transferred to partial confinement from, total confinement under the jurisdiction of the department of corrections.

Severability—Effective date—1994 c 57: See notes following RCW 29A.16.040.

Intent—1984 c 211: "It is the intention of the legislature, in order to encourage the broadest possible participation in the electoral process by the citizens of the state of Washington, to make voter registration services available in state offices which have significant contact with the public." [ 1984 c 211 s 1.]