Substitute Bill No. 212 Summary

• Expands provisional ballot eligibility to all state and municipal elections and primaries, removing the previous limitation to federal elections only.

• Transfers provisional ballot packet preparation duties from town clerks to registrars of voters, requiring delivery to moderators no later than 8 p.m. the day before an election or primary.

• Requires registrars of voters to verify provisional ballot applicants within six days of the election or primary and prepare reports documenting the number of ballots received, rejected, and counted.

• Adds a new requirement that if a poll worker denies an individual the opportunity to cast a ballot for qualifying reasons, a registrar of voters or designee must offer that individual a provisional ballot.

• Applies provisional ballot procedures to absentee ballots cast by first-time voters who registered by mail and fail to provide required identification in elections for federal office.