Just these two statements from you indicate there is a difference. The residency requirements for voting are different than the residency requirements for purchasing a pistol, and are probably different still than the residency requirements for a hunting license or college tuition.
I thought we've already established that a WA ID is all you need to buy a pistol, exempting all time requirements. Whereas for voting, it does not.
The focus of my statements were not about voting but pointing out that to register to vote you must be a
resident. I state what it takes to be a resident and provide links to definitions of
resident. But I guess some folks can't ever get themselves past one little word to read the rest.
And not everyone who comes here and gets a place to live with their stuff is immediately a resident. I've known more than one who live in another state but come here for long contracts. And though they get an apartment to live in and bring some of their stuff to make their stay more comfortable, in six or nine months or a year they're moving back because the work contract is up.
The big one is getting the WA driver's license (one of the steps to establish residency per the state website I linked to). And since some don't like to click on links to read I'll quote from
http://access.wa.gov/topics/living/becomeresident
Become a Resident
It's easy to become a Washington State resident; simply take some action that proves you intend to live in the state on more than a temporary or transient basis.
The following are a few examples of actions you can take to become a resident of Washington:
So both a DL and a Voter Registration card are valid proofs of residency (which is why I mentioned the voting bit). When I have customers come in, I have to have proof of residency in order to sell them a handgun. A CPL isn't proof of residency but is useable as a form of identification. I have to verify ID, address and residency of an individual in order to transfer a handgun or an "other". I can use more than one document but all documents must be government issued and at least one must be a photo ID. Documents I can use to verify identity are ID/DL, CPL, Voter Registration, Military Orders, Vehicle Registration. For non-WA CPLs to wave the waiting period they must be from a state that WA has reciprocity with. To verify residency I go by DL, Voter Registration, Military Orders. I have yet to have someone not have a WA DL or Military Orders come in claiming to be a resident in order to get a handgun.
Getting a DL is the easiest method of becoming a resident but registering to vote is just as easy. You don't have to be here for 30 days, just that you have to be here for 30 days BEFORE the next voting cycle in order to vote. And the "voting residency" mentioned in the link for voter registration is defined here
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=29A.04.151
RCW 29A.04.151
Residence. | |
"Residence" for the purpose of registering and voting means a person's permanent address where he or she physically resides and maintains his or her abode. However, no person gains residence by reason of his or her presence or loses his or her residence by reason of his or her absence:
One thing I don't really like about our State Pistol Transfer form is that is has a block for "how long you've been a resident" with lines for years and months. For those here less than a month I end up just putting "1" in the month, even though it's not accurate. I suppose I could leave it blank but generally don't like to.
