2009 House Bill 1572 (adopting all mail voting)

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Introduced by Rep. Sam Hunt, (D-Olympia) (D) on January 23, 2009, establishes all-mail elections, but allows for designated in-person voting centers.
- Referred to the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee on January 23, 2009.
  - Substitute offered in the House on February 12, 2009, removes the requirement that counties with a population of 500,000 or more may wait until January of 2010 to conduct mail elections. Technical corrections are made to change "election officials" to "election observers" when referring to election workers provided by the political parties. It is clarified that persons who want to vote at a voting center on a disability access voting device must provide identification. Statutes relating to casting a vote at a polling site and duties of election officers in securing unused ballots at polling sites are repealed. The substitute passed in the House by voice vote on February 12, 2009.
  - Referred to the House Rules Committee on February 17, 2009.
Passed in the House (54 to 43) on March 9, 2009. [Vote Details and Comments]
Received in the Senate on March 11, 2009.
- Referred to the Senate Government Operations and Elections Committee on March 11, 2009.
  - Referred to the Senate Rules Committee on March 25, 2009.
Received in the House on January 11, 2010.
- Referred to the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee on January 11, 2010.
  - Substitute offered in the House on February 2, 2010, allows for two precinct committee officers for every 1,000 registered voters, or a fraction thereof, in a precinct, and incorporates changes made to statute in 2009. It also changes the effective date to a regular effective date. The substitute passed in the House by voice vote on February 2, 2010.
- Referred to the House Rules Committee on February 3, 2010.
Passed in the House (57 to 41) on February 15, 2010, requires all counties to conduct all elections entirely by mail. It also changes precinct sizes to not more than 2,000 active registered voters effective 2012. [Vote Details and Comments]
Received in the Senate on February 17, 2010.
- Referred to the Senate Government Operations and Elections Committee on February 17, 2010.
  - Amendment offered in the Senate on February 26, 2010, to make a technical correction. The amendment passed in the Senate by voice vote on February 26, 2010.
- Referred to the Senate Rules Committee on February 26, 2010.
- Referred to the House Rules Committee on March 11, 2010.

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1) Re: 2009 House Bill 1572 (adopting all mail voting) [by constitutionjane on February 16, 2010]

I agree. When we were young it was a family outing on voting day. We would go with mom and dad to the local grange hall. We all dressed up in our "good clothes". They would vote (in the cool polling stalls with the curtain) and visit and us kids would play with our friends and enjoy all the good food everyone would bring for potluck. Those were the days. I thought 18 would never come so I could vote. It is a duty and a privilege. I have always gone to the polls. I have never mailed in my ballot because I was afraid of just that....... FRAUD! I sent in my first mail only ballot this last time and both of the things I voted against were passed and by more than 70 percent! I can not see over 70% of voters wanting their property taxes to go up yet again. Discouraging..... but we don't give up that easily!

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2) Re: 2009 House Bill 1572 (adopting all mail voting) [by Lainie59 on February 8, 2010]

The Democrats have been pushing for all mail voting for a long time and the only hold-out has been Pierce County. Well they can't have that so once again, the wishes of the people do not matter and the Democrats will get their way.

Voting by mail is asking for fraud. How can anyone be certain their ballot was received and counted and not lost in the mail or discarded by someone at one of the drop off centers? Sure there have been problems with voting machines but at least one knows their vote has a better chance of being counted than by mailing it or dropping it off.

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3) Re: 2009 House Bill 1572 (adopting all mail voting) [by David Breneman on March 9, 2009]

This is an attempt by those counties that suffer from fraud-plagued mandatory absentee voting to force Pierce County to adpot that same flawed system. It should be up to the voters of each county whether they want to go along with this process. The voters of Pierce County, time and time again, have voiced their preference for voting in polling places. By forcing Pierce County to adopt mandatory absentee voting, these counties are thumbing their noses at the civic virtue and sacred tradition of going to the polls to vote with your neighbors, and replacing it with a system known for its vulnerability to fraud. If this bill passes it will be a dark day for democracy.

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