The bill modifies the Uniform Election Code of 1992 (code), the
law regarding initiatives and referendums, and the Fair Campaign Practices Act. Elections generally. The bill allows any form of identification
currently specified in the code to be presented in digital format. Qualification and registration of electors. The bill repeals the
authorization for a 17 year-old who is preregistered to vote as an 18 year-old in a general election from voting as a 17 year-old in a primary election or presidential primary election that precedes that general election; repeals certain criteria for determining residence; and facilitates voter registration for people who live on Indian reservations. Political party organization. The bill modifies the meeting dates
on which a judicial district central committee holds its organizational meetings. Access to ballot by candidates. The bill eliminates the option for
all active electors in a county who have not declared an affiliation to specify a party preference and specifies that all such electors will receive a mailing that contains the ballots of all of the major political parties; conforms provisions regarding presidential electors to federal law; makes the deadlines for a candidate to file a petition in a congressional vacancy election consistent with other deadlines; clarifies who can challenge a candidate's eligibility for office; modifies notice requirements for candidates for designation for nomination by assembly; aligns the minor political party candidate petition calendar with the major political party candidate petition calendar; repeals the ability of a preregistrant to sign a petition to nominate a candidate for a primary election; modifies the standards for a petition entity to operate in the state and the conditions under which the secretary of state (secretary) may deny or revoke a petition entity's license to operate; requires a candidate to submit a paid circulator report, if applicable, to the secretary; modifies the procedures for a candidate to cure a nominating petition signature deficiency; and creates a process for a candidate to protest when the secretary has determined that a petition is insufficient. Notice and preparation of elections. The bill requires voter
service and polling centers (VSPC) and drop boxes to be located on campuses of private institutions of higher education and increases the number of VSPCs and drop boxes on campuses of private and state institutions of higher education; clarifies the number of in-person voting days at a VSPC on an Indian reservation; clarifies that a VSPC may be in a multi-use building where alcohol is served so long as it is in a separate part of the building; repeals obsolete language regarding voting equipment; increases the state's reimbursement to counties for the cost of conducting elections beginning in July, 2024; clarifies the secretary's authority to determine conditions of use for voting systems; updates provisions regarding the use of voting systems to align with current practice; clarifies that a clerk and recorder or designated election official (clerk) is required to submit a plan regarding voting to the secretary before every election; modifies the standards for accessible voting systems to align with federal standards; and repeals obsolete language regarding direct recording electronic voting systems. Election judges. The bill changes the deadline by which the
county chairperson of each major political party in a county is required to certify to the clerk the names and addresses of registered electors recommended to serve as election judges in the county and allows counties with fewer than 15,000 active voters to have 2, rather than 3, election judges at each VSPC. Conduct of elections. The bill eliminates references to precincts;
modifies the number of election judges in certain counties; clarifies the number of watchers allowed in certain locations for primary, general, and congressional vacancy elections; modifies who may appoint an election watcher and the circumstances under which a clerk is required to revoke the certificate of an election watcher; specifies the circumstances under which a clerk is required to revoke the certificate of a watcher for the use of a mobile phone in a polling location; specifies that an election watcher may use a phone to send or receive text messages while watching election activities so long as the watcher is not in view of personally identifiable information; specifies the conditions under which an elector may take a mobile phone into a VSPC; updates provisions regarding voting machines and the inspection of voting machines by election judges; repeals obsolete provisions regarding the manner of voting by eligible electors (electors), write-in ballots, and how voting system software is installed; specifies that if a ballot is damaged and cannot be counted by electronic vote-counting equipment, a team of bipartisan election judges is required to make a duplicate copy of the ballot; specifies the manner in which the secretary is required to retain election setup records; and clarifies that the secretary will conduct a random audit of voting devices only if a risk-limiting audit is not possible after an election. Mail ballot elections. The bill specifies when a clerk must update
the voter registration system after an elector has cured deficient identification or a missing or deficient signature; specifies how often a clerk must collect ballots from each drop box and when a clerk must begin counting ballots in counties with over 10,000 electors; and in counties that have issued electronic tablets to confined eligible electors, directs the clerk and the sheriff to determine and include in the mail ballot election plan the process by which they will facilitate voter registration, ballot delivery, and ballot return using electronic tablets issued to confined eligible electors. Recounts. The bill modifies deadlines and the process for testing
voting systems in connection with a mandatory recount of votes cast; repeals obsolete provisions regarding recounts in nonpartisan local elections; modifies recount timelines and payment requirements; and clarifies who has standing to request a recount challenge. Certificates of election and election contests. The bill repeals
obsolete language regarding the election of precinct officers and duplicative language regarding the resolution of tie votes and updates requirements regarding lists of presidential electors to conform with federal law. Recall elections. The bill clarifies how the date of a recall election is determined. Election offenses. The bill repeals obsolete provisions regarding
voting in an incorrect polling location and specifies that it is not electioneering for a person to incidentally display apparel that supports political issues on the campus of any institution of higher education, rather than just a state institution of higher education, where a VSPC is located. Initiative and referendum. The bill repeals an obsolete provision
regarding filing a paid circulator report with the secretary; prohibits a petition entity from circulating ballot petitions if the entity or a principal of the entity has been convicted of certain crimes; increases penalties for petition entities that violate state law regarding petition circulation; and repeals obsolete language regarding the effective date of bills enacted during the 2020 legislative session. Fair campaign practices. The bill clarifies the definition of
independent expenditure committee; specifies that a candidate committee is prohibited from knowingly accepting contributions from certain entities and making contributions to certain entities; specifies the time frame for the termination of candidate committee accounts; limits the amount of unexpended campaign contributions that may be transferred from one candidate committee to another for a different office sought by the same candidate; clarifies that an elected official may use unexpended campaign contributions for child care costs; clarifies when a referred measure is submitted to the voters by the general assembly; requires the electronic filing of candidate disclosure statements; states that a candidate may be disqualified if the secretary of state finds that the candidate willfully filed a false or incomplete disclosure statement; and states that any candidate who willfully files a false or incomplete disclosure statement or other document required by law is guilty of a misdemeanor. Public official disclosure law. The bill specifies that the
information included in the public disclosures filed by certain public officials must include information for the previous calendar year; and requires the person making the disclosure to include certain information about the sources of compensation the person received. Use of state money. The bill prohibits the department of state
from using an appropriation of state money for marketing or advertising that features the name, photograph, or likeness of a federal, state, or local candidate for office.
