Committee advances audit plan for split districts; Secretary of State to notify towns after passage

The House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee on March 13 reviewed draft language directing town clerks and boards of civil authority to audit voter checklists in municipalities whose boundaries are divided for the purpose of representative or senatorial districts.

Legislative counsel Tim Devlin described the change in draft 1.7: the obligation to perform audits will rest with local officials in municipalities that have split boundaries; those local entities would complete audits on or before Aug. 15, 2025, deliver a written summary to the Secretary of State's Elections Division by Sept. 15, 2025, and the Secretary of State would submit a report to the committee by Nov. 15, 2025. "Before, the onus was put on the Secretary of State to perform the audits. Now it is the Board of Civil Authority and town clerks," Devlin said.

Committee members raised concerns about workload and notification. Several representatives said some rural clerks have limited time and capacity and asked who would identify which towns must audit. Elections Director Sean Chiang, who joined the meeting, told the committee the Secretary of State's office already has a list of about two dozen towns with divided districts and said the office can notify affected town clerks. "We are hoping that we can include language that would ask the Secretary of State's office ... to notify those towns," Chiang said. Chiang offered that the office could notify towns upon passage and suggested a two‑week window after passage as a reasonable notification target.

Devlin said he would draft two new subsections: one directing the Elections Division to notify affected town clerks and Boards of Civil Authority, and a second directing the Elections Division to provide support and training. Committee members pushed for closing the loop so clerks know who must act: "If the Secretary of State's office already has the list, I would like them to ask the town clerks to do it," one member said.

Members also discussed deadline timing. Chiang and staff suggested the state needs time to compile reports after receiving local summaries; committee members proposed moving the Secretary of State's final report deadline earlier than Nov. 15 to allow time for follow-up. Chiang said notifying towns "upon passage or two weeks of passage" would be feasible; committee counsel and the director discussed changing the report timeline (members suggested the Secretary of State could submit compiled results by Oct. 1 if deadlines are adjusted).

Committee staff said they will draft language that (a) requires affected town clerks and Boards of Civil Authority to perform audits by Aug. 15, (b) requires submission of written summaries to the Elections Division by Sept. 15 (subject to revision), and (c) directs the Elections Division to notify affected towns within two weeks of passage and provide support and training.

Committee members expressed support for the approach but emphasized the need for implementation assistance from the Secretary of State's office to avoid undue burden on small-town clerks. Chiang said the office will provide materials and training and can send the list of affected towns after passage; the committee requested counsel add an explicit notification requirement to the draft.