Ryan Kelly, director of elections in the lieutenant governor’s office, and elections coordinator Kenna Stringham briefed the Rules Review and General Government Oversight Committee on Sept. 25 about a set of rule updates the office drafted after internal review and recommendations from audits.

Kelly and Stringham told the committee the updates clarify ballot chain‑of‑custody requirements and require video monitoring of ballot processing centers in accordance with state code. They said rule 6.23.9 clarifies personal identifiable information that must be covered on return envelopes (email, phone number, Social Security number, driver’s license or state ID) and noted it does not change counties’ longstanding practices about the small “hole” in some return envelopes used to confirm a ballot is present.

The office described substantial changes to nomination‑petition procedures following passage of SB 164, including a definition of “conflicted race” (for example, when the lieutenant governor or a county clerk is a candidate), a formal definition of “reasonably consistent/substantially similar” for signature comparison, and a process allowing candidates to submit an unlimited number of packets. Under the updated practice, a reviewing officer may stop review only if the candidate withdraws, there are no more signatures to review, or the review reaches 110% of the statutory threshold; counties will still be required to document chain of custody for petition packets.

Kelly said the lieutenant governor’s office will continue audits as a post‑threshold step: a 1% post‑election hand‑count audit of ballots before canvas and a 1% envelope‑signature audit (sampled across batches and workers). For nomination petitions, when the lieutenant governor is the reviewing officer the rule requires a 1% sampling of reviewed signatures (not packets) after the threshold is met and before party conventions; audits must be public, performed by trained auditors who did not verify the signatures being audited, and documented in a standardized report retained for 22 months.

Committee members raised operational questions: several lawmakers urged the office to consider allowing candidates to turn in partial signature packets earlier for interim verification so candidates could gauge how their vendors are performing. Kelly said counties must weigh staffing constraints, but the office will review the proposal and noted some counties already have different processing models. Lawmakers also asked about electronic signature gathering and whether blind verification or other transparency steps could be implemented; Kelly said the office is developing training and will consult clerks on technical questions.

Ending: The committee did not take immediate action on the rules; staff and the lieutenant governor’s office will follow up on several operational questions and consider adjustments to guidance and training for clerks and circulators.