House concurs with Senate amendments to election bill; lawmakers raise write-in vote concerns

The House of Representatives voted to concur in the Senate's proposal of amendment to House Bill 474, an act relating to miscellaneous changes to election law, and ordered the bill delivered to the governor forthwith.

The bill's amendment package removes several reporting requests that had been in earlier versions, revises requirements for write-in candidates, clarifies proof-of-citizenship requirements tied to automatic voter registration on license applications, and adds adjustments to campaign-finance reporting language, including a $500 minimum reporting threshold for certain committees.

House Government Operations and Military Affairs Committee members said the committee heard testimony this afternoon from the deputy secretary of state, the director of elections, the senate reporter of the bill and the office of legislative counsel, and that the committee conducted an 11-person straw poll in support of concurrence. The committee recommended concurrence with the Senate's strike-all amendment.

The Senate's amendment removed several provisions that had been in earlier House…