HB 694

Abstract

Elections; absentee voting; counting ballotsprior to the close of polls. Allows officers of election at acentral absentee precinct to begin ascertaining and recording thenumber of votes cast by absentee ballots at any time after noon onthe day of the election. Under current law, absentee ballots thatare counted by hand may be tallied, but not counted, at any timeafter noon on the day of the election, and no ballot totals for anyabsentee ballots shall be ascertained until after polls close. Thebill also clarifies that vote totals for absentee ballots cast inperson on voting systems cannot be determined until the day of the election. The bill also requires that general registrars begin processing absentee ballots on the fourteenth day prior to the day of the election.Under current law such processing is not required until the seventhday prior to the day of the election.