Senate passes Hawkins’ primary ballots bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 5, 2014

CONTACT: John Sattgast, Senior Information Officer/Broadcast Coordinator – (360) 786-7257

Senate passes Hawkins’ primary ballots bill

The Washington State Senate has approved a measure by 12th District Rep. Brad Hawkins that will save thousands of dollars for counties processing future primary elections. The bill passed the House 86-10 on Jan. 27. Tuesday’s Senate vote was 48-1.

House Bill 2106 would relieve county election offices of the requirement to hold a primary election when only one candidate for a position has filed to fill an unexpired term for partisan county offices.

“Under current law, primary elections are required for all partisan county offices, even if there’s only one candidate. Last year, Chelan County had to hold a countywide primary election for a single position when only one person’s name appeared on the entire ballot,” said Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee. “Passage of this bill is one of my highest legislative priorities this session. This will benefit our district and counties throughout our state.”

Supporters of the measure include Chelan County Auditor Skip Moore and Chelan County Commissioner Doug England, who traveled to Olympia Feb. 20 to testify in favor of the bill.

“Passage of this measure reflects months of work that began last summer. In a short 60-day session, I’m pleased we were able to get this through when there are hundreds of bills at play from last year and hundreds more introduced this year. I’m very thankful for the support. I was determined to get it done,” added Hawkins.

The measure now goes to the governor for his consideration. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn the 2014 session on March 13. With the governor’s signature, House Bill 2106 would become effective 90 days after the session adjourns.

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For more information about Rep. Hawkins, visit: www.representativebradhawkins.com.

Rep. Hawkins’ media: