SB2651 Summary

• Election authorities must submit voting equipment information to the State Board of Elections every 2 years, including equipment age, functionality, status description, perceived needs for new equipment, and associated costs, with this information published online.

• State Board of Elections must post early voting sites and hours at least 5 business days before early voting begins and must post statewide and authority-specific election count totals and downloadable voting equipment information on its website.

• State Board of Elections shall adopt rules establishing a cyber navigator program to help election authorities defend against cyber breaches, with at least half of federal Help America Vote Act funds allocated to this program and no grants available to non-participating authorities.

• Vote by mail ballot applications sent to post office boxes controlled by non-election authorities must include a valid phone number and be delivered to the appropriate election authority within 7 days (or 2 days if received within 2 weeks of an election), with violations subject to $100 fines per application.

• Removing, tampering with, or making postmarks unreadable on mail-in ballot applications creates a rebuttable presumption of violation.