The Metropolitan King County Council’s Committee-of-the-Whole will be briefed on Monday by two groups the Council commissioned to review King County elections. The Council will first hear the recent report of the King County Citizens’ Election Oversight Committee, the panel created by the Council to review the 2004 general election, monitor elections in 2005, and make recommendations for improving elections. The Elections Center will then brief the Council on their Observation Report for the 2005 general election. The briefings will take place on Monday, March 6, in Council Chambers, starting at 9:30 a.m.

The 13-member Citizens’ Election Oversight Committee was originally created by the Council in 2003 with the goal of improving performance, accountability and transparency in the Elections Section. Members presented the Council in May of 2004 with a lengthy report and a series of recommendations for enhancement of operations in the Elections Section. After the challenges of the 2004 general election, the Council voted to reactivate the Committee.

The reconstituted panel acted independently of similar groups that reviewed the Elections Section in 2005. The Oversight Committee reviewed the 2004 general election and the 2005 spring election to identify errors made and recommend measures to improve future elections. The Committee also monitored the 2005 primary and the general elections. This report reflects their review of those elections and presents further recommendations to the Council on how it can continue to improve the conduct of elections.

The Election Center is a 21-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and improving democracy, with more than 1,000 members drawn from voter registrars, elections supervisors, and elections directors nationwide. Also known as the National Association of Election Officials, the Center is considered the premier organization for professional training and certification of election and voter registration administrators. The Council hired The Election Center to conduct an audit of elections in 2005 and to observe the 2005 general election.

The Committee-of-the-Whole is the only standing committee on which all 9 members serve. It considers complex legislation and policy issues of interest to the entire council.