RSC (2010-4) Election Process

Submitted by Lu Pierson on Wed 10 Mar 2010 - 1:35 pm

Election Process

Few election bills are winding through the legislative process this session, and there hasn’t been much action on those which have been heard in committee. The bill that would allow 16-year olds to register to vote, but not be eligible to vote until they are 18 years old (HB 217/SB 292 - Elections - Voter Registration and Voting – Age) has been heard in both the House and Senate, with no action yet by either committee.

The same is true for HB 266/SB 266 - Voter's Rights Protection Act of 2010, heard in a House committee and a Senate committee, but no action since.

SB 417 - Elective Franchise - Registration and Voting at Polling Places, which requires a Constitutional Amendment to allow voters to register and vote at the same time during early voting and on Election Day, was heard by the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on February 25^th and the companion bill in the House, HB 322 is scheduled to be heard on March 16^th in the House Ways and Means Committee.

HB797 - Election Law – Early Voting – Delay of Implementation is emergency legislation that would delay the implementation of Early Voting until 2012. This bill is scheduled for a hearing on March 16^th. HB 895 - Election Law - Early Voting - Delay of Implementation is also an emergency bill and would delay the implementation of Early Voting until the first election year in which the State is not projected to have a structural budget deficit. The State Board of Elections and local Election Boards are continuing their efforts to implement Early Voting in 2010.

Lu Pierson