Drafter
Clerk 10/11/2005
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A MOTION requesting the county executive to undertake actions to improve the conduct of the elections process in King County.
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WHEREAS, voter confidence in the elections process is paramount to maintaining the integrity of our democracy, and
WHEREAS, the county council is concerned about the errors that have occurred in recent elections, and
WHEREAS, the county council has taken action to begin restoring public confidence and trust in King County elections operations by creating the citizens elections oversight committee in 2003, by reconstituting the committee with a new mission in April 2005 and, most recently, by commissioning a management audit of the county's elections operations, and
WHEREAS, although the management audit has just been published, and although the report of the new citizens elections oversight committee is not due until February 1, 2006, other reports and studies have been released since 2003 identifying problems with the county's elections operations and recommending potential corrective measures and actions, and
WHEREAS, it is prudent to take action now on some of these measures and corrective actions, while continuing to review and evaluate recommendations from the reports and studies;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. Beginning with the November, 2005 general election and continuing thereafter:
1. The elections section shall, through whatever means it determines to be appropriate, instruct the United States Postal Service to return to the elections section any absentee ballots in instances where a permanent change of address form has been filed with the Postal Service;
2. The elections section shall continue its current practice of ensuring that absentee ballots are automatically forwarded by the United States Postal Service to registered voters in instances where a temporary change of address form has been filed with the Postal Service;
3....

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