Vacancies in partisan office

BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 1
STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:2
THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state the 3
secretary of state shall submit to the qualified voters of the state 4
for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to 5
Article II, section 15 of the Constitution of the state of Washington 6
to read as follows: 7
Article II, section 15. Such vacancies as may occur in either 8
house of the legislature or in any partisan county elective office 9
shall be filled by appointment by the county legislative authority of 10
the county in which the vacancy occurs: Provided, That the person 11
appointed to fill the vacancy must be from the same legislative 12
district, county, or county commissioner or council district and , 13
only if the elective officer whose office has been vacated declared a 14
political party preference at the time they were elected to the 15
legislative office or partisan county office, the appointee must be 16
from the same political party as the legislator or partisan county 17
elective officer whose office has been vacated ((,)) and shall be one 18
of three persons who shall be nominated by the county central 19
committee of that party if applicable, and in case a majority of the 20
members of the county legislative authority do not agree upon the 21
appointment within sixty days after the vacancy occurs, the governor 22
H-2541.1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 4212
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Rude, Abell, Volz, and Walen
Read first time 01/14/26. Referred to Committee on State Government
& Tribal Relations.
p. 1 HJR 4212
shall within thirty days thereafter, and from the list of nominees 1
provided for herein if applicable, appoint a person who shall be from 2
the same legislative district, county, or county commissioner or 3
council district and , if applicable, of the same political party as 4
the legislator or partisan county elective officer whose office has 5
been vacated, and the person so appointed shall hold office until his 6
or her successor is elected at the next general election, and has 7
qualified: Provided, That in case of a vacancy occurring after the 8
general election in a year that the office appears on the ballot and 9
before the start of the next term, the term of the successor who , if 10
applicable, is of the same party as the incumbent may commence once 11
he or she has qualified and shall continue through the term for which 12
he or she was elected: Provided, That in case of a vacancy occurring 13
in the office of joint senator, or joint representative, the vacancy 14
shall be filled from a list of three nominees selected by the state 15
central committee s of the same party as the legislator whose office 16
has been vacated only if such legislator declared a political party 17
at the time they were elected to that legislative office , by 18
appointment by the joint action of the boards of county legislative 19
authorities of the counties composing the joint senatorial or joint 20
representative district, the person appointed to fill the vacancy 21
must be from the same legislative district and , if applicable, of the 22
same political party as the legislator whose office has been vacated, 23
and in case a majority of the members of the county legislative 24
authority do not agree upon the appointment within sixty days after 25
the vacancy occurs, the governor shall within thirty days thereafter, 26
and from the list of nominees provided for herein if applicable , 27
appoint a person who shall be from the same legislative district and , 28
if applicable, of the same political party as the legislator whose 29
office has been vacated. 30
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause 31
notice of this constitutional amendment to be published at least four 32
times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every 33
legal newspaper in the state. 34
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p. 2 HJR 4212