When do petitions need to be submitted?

When petitions must be submitted will depend upon the process at the county:

• For a spring election, the County Commissioners must submit a resolution to the County Auditor at least 46 days before the election. The County Commissioners' office needs to be informed as to the requirements and to determine how much lead time is needed;
• The time needed for checking the signatures will have to come from the Elections Division of the County Auditor's Office. The Elections Division should be able to determine how much time they will need to check the signatures once the petition is submitted. Some factors that could lengthen the signature check process would include:
• Redistricting of legislative and congressional boundaries;
• Holding of a statewide special election (e.g., statewide tax increase proposition).
• The County Commissioner's time frame plus the County Auditor's time frame will determine the amount of time before the deadline when petitions must be submitted.

For filing and election dates, see the Washington Secretary of State's Elections Calendar.