House Bill 6002 Summary

• Adds COVID-19 sickness as a reason for absentee voting eligibility in the 2020 state election, defined as the respiratory disease designated by the World Health Organization on February 11, 2020.

• Allows secure drop boxes for absentee ballot return in 2020, with municipal clerks retrieving ballots beginning 29 days before the election on weekdays, escorted by police if located outside the clerk's building.

• Accelerates absentee ballot processing timelines for 2020: voting sets must be mailed within 48 hours of application (or 72 hours by approved third-party vendors), and ballot sorting can begin 14 days before the election instead of 7 days.

• Expands election day registration by allowing unregistered voters and those changing municipalities to register and vote on election day at designated locations with state-wide centralized voter registration system access.

• Extends result reporting deadlines for 2020 election: certificates and duplicates due within 96 hours instead of 48 hours, recanvass meetings within 5-7 days instead of 3-5 days, and moderator returns filed within 5 days instead of 3 days.