SB 13-065 Summary

• Authorizes cities, towns, counties, school districts, and special districts to use approval voting methods in nonpartisan elections on and after November 1, 2013.

• Approval voting allows electors to cast votes for as many candidates per office as they choose, with the candidate(s) receiving the most votes winning the election.

• Requires elections using approval voting to be nonpartisan, approved by the local government's charter, and conducted with election systems capable of handling approval voting and approved by the governing body and election official.

• Defines "overvote" to exclude votes cast under approval voting methods, and limits write-in candidates to the lesser of either the number of open seats or the number of approved write-in candidates.

• Directs the Secretary of State to adopt rules by October 1, 2013, establishing methods and procedures for tabulating, auditing, and reporting approval voting election results, and to provide guidance to local governments upon request.