Senate Bill 654 Summary

• Expands definition of "absentee ballot harvesting" to include notarizing or witnessing more absentee ballots than allowed by law and partially or fully completing absentee ballot applications without prior consent.

• Prohibits notary publics from requesting absentee ballots, assisting voters in requesting ballots, receiving ballots, or submitting completed ballots on behalf of voters outside their household.

• Limits notary publics to notarizing maximum of 20 absentee ballot affidavits per election, with exceptions for written county election board approval or notarization at the notary's public business location.

• Requires notary publics to maintain logs of all absentee ballot affidavits notarized for at least 2 years after election date.

• Mandates county election boards to notify district attorneys and State Election Board when more than 10 absentee ballots are requested to be mailed to a single address, triggering investigation for possible criminal violations.

• Creates misdemeanor offense for notary publics who knowingly and intentionally violate these restrictions, effective November 1, 2025.