OLYMPIA — The House passed half of the Senate's package of elections legislation last night, but it deferred a vote on the three most controversial bills, including one that raises the question of whether voters need to show photo ID at the polls.

A bill requiring voting devices to produce paper records passed on a 95-1 vote. Bills that inform out-of-state, overseas and military-service voters of rights and procedures and require the secretary of state to prepare a manual of election laws and rules both passed on 96-0 votes.

Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, cast the only no vote on the paper trail, saying that the Jan. 1, 2006, deadline for counties to comply was too soon.

"I want a paper trail, but I don't want to rush," he said.

But Rep. Toby Nixon, of Kirkland, ranking Republican on the House State Government, Operations and Accountability Committee, said voters want proof their votes are accurately tabulated.

A vote on a bill that would mandate all-mail voting was delayed until today, as were votes on an omnibus election measure that would create statewide voting standards and a bill dealing with voter-registration records.

More than two-dozen amendments have been offered on the latter two bills, with Republicans seeking to require voter identification, re-registration of all voters to clean up the voter rolls, and proof of citizenship for registration.

"The House really has the biggest burden now," said Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, the main architect of the Senate package.

Republicans are upset that a House committee removed a photo-identification requirement from the omnibus bill that already passed the Senate.

Democrats "don't think election reform is a priority," said Rep. Doug Ericksen, R-Bellingham. "They really haven't shown it."

The election legislation has been hot this session because of the contested governor's race. Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, won by 129 votes after a hand recount of nearly 2.9 million ballots after the Nov. 2 election.

Republican opponent Dino Rossi has sued, seeking to void the results. He has alleged widespread problems and voting irregularities. A trial will begin May 23 in Wenatchee.

Democrats hold a majority in both the House and Senate, and they likely can get their versions of the measures through the House.

A House bill that would change the primary-election date could be stymied in the Senate, however, if Republicans want to exert pressure on House Democrats. Democrats have only a 26-23 majority in the Senate, and the primary bill requires a two-thirds majority for approval. While some Republicans support changing the date, they killed a Senate version of that bill last month because of the defeat of GOP amendments to other bills.