The purpose of this chapter is to provide uniform procedures under RCW 43.03.305(1) for the selection and notification by the secretary of state of persons to be appointed to the Washington citizens' commission on salaries for elected officials.

Qualification requirements for the citizen members selected in accordance with this chapter to serve on the commission shall be as required by the state Constitution and RCW 43.03.305:

(1) Any person selected under WAC 434-209-070 to serve must be a registered voter and eligible to vote at the time of selection in the congressional district from which that person was selected;

(2) Any person selected under WAC 434-209-090 to serve must be a registered voter and eligible to vote at the time of selection;

(3) No state official, public employee or lobbyist or immediate family member of such official, public employee or lobbyist shall be eligible to serve.

No later than May 20 of the year of selection, the secretary of state shall arrange for the random selection of approximately an equal number of names of registered voters from each congressional district that requires appointment of a new commissioner. The secretary of state may employ a properly programmed electronic data processing system or device to make the random selection of registered voters as required by this section.

(1) No later than May 31 of the year of selection, the secretary of state shall notify by nonforwardable 1st class mail each person selected by lot under WAC 434-209-050. The notification shall contain a response form and prestamped, self-addressed return envelope. The notification shall include the statutory qualifications for membership on the commission as specified in RCW 43.03.305 and describe the duties of the position under RCW 43.03.310. The notification shall request the person selected to confirm on the form whether or not they meet the statutory qualifications to serve on the commission and to indicate if they are willing to serve on the commission in the specified capacity. Each person shall be requested to return the form no later than June 10 of that year. Any selected person, by appropriate indication on the form, may decline to serve on the commission. The secretary of state shall take as conclusive indication that the person has declined to serve if the form is not received by the secretary of state on or before June 10 of that year. The notification shall include an appropriate notice of this deadline.

(2) The secretary of state shall compile a list by congressional district of each qualified person who has responded to the notification, confirmed that they meet the specified qualifications and are willing to serve on the commission as requested in subsection (1) of this section.

From the list prepared under WAC 434-209-060(2), the secretary of state shall conduct a separate, noncomputer selection by lot of all qualified persons responding positively to the notice in WAC 434-209-060 from each congressional district. The persons selected from each congressional district shall be listed in order of selection.

This list shall serve as the list of registered voters for the initial appointment and for filling any subsequent vacancy.

No later than July 1 of the year of selection, the secretary of state shall forward to the governor the certified list of the names of the first registered voter selected from each congressional district under WAC 434-209-070. In the event that one of the persons certified to the governor declines appointment, the secretary of state shall forward to the governor the name of the next registered voter from the same congressional district on the list compiled under WAC 434-209-070.

Whenever a vacancy exists in any of the congressional districts, the governor shall notify the secretary of state of the vacancy. The secretary of state shall forward to the governor for appointment the next name on the list created in WAC 434-209-070 for that congressional district. This procedure will be repeated until this list is exhausted.

If the list from a congressional district becomes depleted, the secretary of state shall create a new list for that congressional district using the most recent voter information obtained from the county auditors. Except for the revision of timelines under this section, the process for compiling the data file of records of registered voters by congressional district, conducting the selection by lot, notifying persons selected, determining appointees, and forwarding to the governor the certified list of the name of the registered voter selected shall be substantially the same as specified in WAC 434-209-030 through 434-209-080.