How HB 1821 changes current law

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The bill modifies existing laws related to postelection audits by establishing new reporting requirements and timelines for county auditors and the secretary of state.

• RCW 29A.60.185

  ((The secretary of state must establish rules by January 1, 2019, to implement and administer the auditing methods in this section, including facilitating public observation and reporting requirements.))

  Removes the requirement for the secretary of state to establish rules by a specific date for administering auditing methods.

• RCW 29A.60.185

  Each county auditor shall create an audit report for each special election, primary, and general election. The secretary of state shall develop, and all county auditors shall use, a standard reporting format for the audit report. At the time of certification of the election, the county auditor shall post the report on the county elections web site, or its equivalent. The report must include the following information: (a) Each type of postelection audit performed; (b) The total number of ballots audited; (c) The make, model, and serial number of voting systems that were audited, and the total number of ballots counted using each of the audited voting systems; (d) The ballot races or issues included in the audit; (e) For each audit sample: (i) The count of the specific ballot races or issues as originally tabulated for that audit sample; (ii) The count as determined by the audit; and (iii) An explanation of discrepancies found between the counts reported under (e)(i) and (ii) of this subsection, if any; (f) The number of ballots duplicated and any discrepancies found during the audit of the duplicated ballots; (g) Any other discrepancies found during each audit, and the findings of any investigation conducted under subsection (3) of this section; (h) The signature, election administration certification number if applicable, and date of last election administration training of the county canvassing board members and designated election official who observed or conducted the audit; and (i) Any other information that the secretary of state deems necessary.

  Establishes new requirements for county auditors to create and publicly post detailed audit reports for each election.

• RCW 29A.60.185

  Each county auditor shall submit the audit report required under subsection (4) of this section to the secretary of state no later than one day prior to the certification of the primary, special election, or general election. Once submitted, the report must be made available for public inspection and copying.

  Requires county auditors to submit their audit reports to the secretary of state before election certification and mandates public accessibility of these reports.

• RCW 29A.60.185

  The secretary of state shall compile the audit reports from each county and prepare a statewide audit report for each primary, special election, and general election. The secretary of state shall publish the statewide report on the secretary of state's web site no later than one month after the last county's election results have been certified.

  Requires the secretary of state to compile and publish a comprehensive statewide audit report for elections.

• RCW 29A.60.190

  except as provided under RCW 29A.60.185.

  Clarifies that the certification timelines for elections may be adjusted based on the audit procedures defined in RCW 29A.60.185.