Washington 2017-2018 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate 5 D cosponsors

SB 5019 — Providing prepaid postage for primary and general election ballots.

Last action — By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2017-2018 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

1 added · 1 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill SB 5019 now mandates that all election ballots include prepaid postage, making it easier for voters to return their ballots without worrying about the cost of postage. This change is significant because it helps eliminate what some may consider a financial barrier to voting, thereby encouraging higher participation in elections. It emphasizes the principle that voting should be free and accessible to every citizen, which can strengthen democracy by ensuring that more people can cast their votes without additional financial burdens.

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S-1382.1SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5019State of Washington65th Legislature2017 Regular SessionBy Senate State Government (originally sponsored by Senators Hasegawa, Palumbo, Hunt, Keiser, Pedersen, Conway, Wellman, Rolfes, and Frockt)READ FIRST TIME 02/09/17.AN ACT Relating to prepaid postage for all election ballots;
S-0115.1SENATE BILL 5019State of Washington65th Legislature2017 Regular SessionBy Senators Hasegawa, Palumbo, Hunt, Keiser, Pedersen, Conway, Wellman, Rolfes, and FrocktPrefiled 12/30/16.
Read first time 01/09/17.
Referred to Committee on State Government.AN ACT Relating to prepaid postage for primary and general election ballots;
The legislature finds that voting should be free for all citizens.Sec. 2.  RCW 29A.04.420 and 2013 c 11 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:(1) Whenever state officers or measures are voted upon at a state primary or general election held in an odd-numbered year under RCW 29A.04.321, the state of Washington shall assume a prorated share of the costs of that state primary or general election.(2) The state shall reimburse counties for the cost of return postage on mail and absentee ballots for all elections.(3) Whenever a primary or vacancy election is held to fill a vacancy in the position of United States senator or United States representative under chapter 29A.28 RCW, the state of Washington shall assume a prorated share of the costs of that primary or vacancy election.(((3))) (4) The county auditor shall apportion the state's share of these expenses when prorating election costs under RCW 29A.04.410 and shall file such expense claims with the secretary of state.(((4))) (5) The secretary of state shall include in his or her biennial budget requests sufficient funds to carry out this section.
The legislature finds that voting should be free for all citizens.Sec. 2.  RCW 29A.04.420 and 2013 c 11 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:(1) Whenever state officers or measures are voted upon at a state primary or general election held in an odd-numbered year under RCW 29A.04.321, the state of Washington shall assume a prorated share of the costs of that state primary or general election.(2) The state shall reimburse counties for the cost of return postage on mail and absentee ballots for primary and general elections.(3) Whenever a primary or vacancy election is held to fill a vacancy in the position of United States senator or United States representative under chapter 29A.28 RCW, the state of Washington shall assume a prorated share of the costs of that primary or vacancy election.(((3))) (4) The county auditor shall apportion the state's share of these expenses when prorating election costs under RCW 29A.04.410 and shall file such expense claims with the secretary of state.(((4))) (5) The secretary of state shall include in his or her biennial budget requests sufficient funds to carry out this section.
Return envelopes for all election ballots must include prepaid postage.
Return envelopes for primary and general election ballots must include prepaid postage.
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Action History

  1. By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

  2. By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

  3. By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

  4. By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

  5. By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

  6. By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

  7. By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

  8. By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

  9. Referred to Ways & Means.

  10. Referred to Ways & Means.

  11. Minority; without recommendation.

  12. And refer to Ways & Means.

  13. SGOV - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.

  14. Minority; without recommendation.

  15. And refer to Ways & Means.

  16. SGOV - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.

  17. First reading, referred to State Government.

  18. Prefiled for introduction.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 142 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (8)

Not signed on (142)

142 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 5019?
SB 5019 is sponsored by Victoria Hunt (Democrat), Steve Conway (Democrat), Frockt, Bob Hasegawa (Democrat), Keiser, Palumbo, Jamie Pedersen (Democrat), Rolfes, and Lisa Wellman (Democrat).
What is the current status of SB 5019?
This bill died with 2017-2018 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track SB 5019?
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