(1) In compliance with the Help America Vote Act (P.L. 107-252), the centralized statewide voter registration list maintained by the secretary of state is the official list of eligible voters for all elections.

(2) In all counties, the county auditor shall be the chief registrar of voters for every precinct within the county.

(3) Requests for records from, or any existing standard reports generated by, the statewide voter registration database must be submitted to and fulfilled by the secretary of state per Title 42 RCW. If a county elections office receives a request for records from, or any existing standard reports generated by, the statewide voter registration database, the county elections office is not required to produce any records in response to the request, but shall, by the deadline set forth in RCW 42.56.520, direct the requestor to submit the request to the secretary of state.

Findings—Intent—2023 c 404: "The legislature finds that requests for records concerning voter registration information, election data, and systems and processes of election administration have increased exponentially over the last several years. The legislature further finds that public access to these requested records increases the public confidence in electoral processes through greater public transparency. The legislature intends to clarify responsibilities for producing records containing election information to improve the efficiency in which they are made available." [ 2023 c 404 s 1.]

Effective dates—2004 c 267: See note following RCW 29A.08.010.

Severability—1994 c 57: See note following RCW 29A.16.040.

Intent—1984 c 211: See note following RCW 29A.08.310.