5 Questions about the R-71 check: What you’re asking

Thanks for being so curious about the ins and outs of signature checking. We’ve been getting tons of questions from you on the blog about the ongoing R-71 check. Our team will talk with you about these inquiries in a daily “5 Questions” post. Today’s topics: The third check, database dates and policies, oh my! Q) How long do you wait to do the third and final check? A) The third check – the final step that checks to catch any recent voter registrations – is ongoing and is being completed while the regular check is occurring. For example, Volumes 1 through 220 have already been through the third check. The current pace for the final check is about 50 volumes per day.

Q) In the Voter Registration Database, what date appears next to the voter’s name: the date the registration was received or the date the name was added to the voter list? A) The “registration date” is entered into the computer by county elections staff in accordance with procedural rules. The “registration date” appears on the “Voter Details” page of each voter’s VRDB record. The “registration date” in a voter registration file is either the postmark date or, if there is no postmark, the date of receipt by the elections official. This is state law, RCW 29A.08.020(2). Q) Is there a written OSOS policy, or law the policy refers to, for accepting signatures of persons who were not registered when they signed? A) Our policy is based on state law. RCW 29A.72.230 states: “Upon the filing of an initiative or referendum petition, the secretary of state shall proceed to verify and canvass the names of the legal voters on the petition.” There is no deadline for registering to vote for purposes of qualifying an initiative or referendum; as a practical matter, the deadline is the date that the signature on the petition is checked. Checkers are instructed that a signature on a petition is valid if they find a person with the same name in the voter registration file, and the signature on the petition matches the signature in the voter registration file. The registration date has never been a limiting factor. Q. What is all this talk about “rushing” the signature check? A) There have been many comments made recently, asking us to “slow down” and “not rush” the checking process. Our consistent direction to checkers has been to be as careful and methodical as possible in doing checks. We have never requested the checkers or master checkers to hurry up or speed up the process. Signature checkers continue to follow established search methods, and be thorough when researching each signature on a petition sheet. Signature checkers will continue to use the same methods they’ve used throughout the process. Secretary of State employees are working extremely hard, under very tense conditions, to verify the signatures on the petitions in order to uphold Washington’s right of initiative and referendum. Q) When can I check to see if someone put my name or someone else’s name that I know on this list without our knowledge? A) First off, the signature check process is put into place to prevent people from signing on behalf of another person – that’s why our checkers go to great lengths to verify whether the signature on the petition matches YOUR signature on YOUR voter registration information. This safeguard is in place to make sure it’s YOU who signed the petition, not someone else. Now, whether or not you will be able to see a copy of the R-71 petition sheets, and all the names on them, is a different question. The R-71 sponsors obtained a temporary restraining order on July 29 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma that blocked the scheduled release of petitions to groups that have put in a public records request. We view the petitions as releasable public records and are fighting for disclosure of the petitions. A hearing on the merits of the case is scheduled for Sept. 3. Have a question about the R-71 checks? If you can't find it in our comprehensive R-71 FAQs, then leave us a comment and our team will do our best to answer or clarify in our daily “5 Questions” posts.