Senate elections committee advances secretary of state election-administration bill with chain-of-custody, reporting and absentee changes

The Senate Elections Committee on March 13 advanced Senate Bill 2,384, the Office of the Secretary of State’s election-administration package, as amended, and recommended it to the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.

The bill, carried by Senator Westland, bundles technical updates and policy changes that supporters say respond to administrator and voter feedback from recent elections. Key provisions include changes to proof-of-residence rules for election-day registration and candidate filings, new requirements for county chain-of-custody plans, expanded early-voting options, changes to absentee-ballot handling and retention, and a statutory requirement that the secretary of state maintain an unofficial Election Night Reporting system (ERS).

Nicole Freeman of the Office of the Secretary of State, a principal presenter, described the measure as “technical as well as small policy changes to election provisions that were both passed recently, as well as some that, were passed not so recently based on the experiences of voters and election administrators in recent elections.” Freeman said the bill reflects input from local partners including county and municipal administrators and tribal representatives.

Major provisions summarized during the…