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IN SB0061
Bill
AI Summary
Senate Enrolled Act 61 - Election Law Amendments
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Modifies straight party ticket voting to exclude at-large district offices (county council, city common council, town council, township board), requiring individual votes for these positions instead of counting them under a straight party vote.
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Creates new ballot grouping requirements placing multi-candidate at-large offices together on general election ballots with statements requiring voters to mark each candidate individually rather than relying on straight party votes.
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Updates voting system testing and certification standards to allow the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (as amended March 31, 2015) and removes October 1, 2013 deadline, extending it to October 1, 2017 for counties using previously approved systems.
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Clarifies ballot instructions and vote-counting procedures across paper ballots, optical scan ballots, and electronic voting systems to ensure straight party votes do not apply to at-large offices and establish uniform standards for write-in and multi-candidate office voting.
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Declares an emergency effective upon passage to implement these election procedure changes.
Legislative Description
Voting matters. Provides that when a voter casts a straight party ticket in a general or municipal election, the voter is casting a ballot for all candidates of that party whose names appear on the ballot, except candidates for offices in a county or municipality for which more than one individual can be elected (county council member at large; city common council member at large; town council member at large; township board member at large). Groups such offices together on the general election ballot, and requires a voter to cast an individual vote for each candidate for such offices for
Last Action
Public Law 21
3/21/2016