Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears push to cut supervisors of checklist term from six years to three
Summary
Representative Lehi Berezny and local resident Cindy Kudlick told the Senate committee that reducing supervisors of the checklist term from six to three years could make it easier to recruit volunteers; committee said it will check whether the change would affect cities before acting.
Representative Lehi Berezny told the Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee that House Bill 151 would shorten the term of supervisors of the checklist from six years to three years to encourage more candidates to run.
Berezny said the bill was filed at the request of a former Groton selectwoman, Sydney Kudlick, who and other potential applicants told lawmakers that a six-year commitment discouraged people from running. Cindy Kudlick, a former select person and long-time ballot clerk from Grafton, testified that two of her town's three supervisors resigned last year and only one person volunteered to fill a vacancy in March. “Finding volunteers is a real challenge these days,” she told the committee and urged an ‘ought to pass’ recommendation.
Committee members raised questions about whether the statute governing supervisors of the checklist applies differently in cities. Berezny said the House secretary of state testified earlier in the session that the statute would not apply to cities, but the committee chair said he would check with the secretary of state before making any changes to ensure city statutes are not affected.
The committee recorded 14 online supporters and an unspecified number opposed in the hearing record and then closed the public hearing on HB 151. No committee final vote on the bill was recorded during the hearing; committee members indicated staff would verify whether city statutes are affected before further action.
Testsimony and questions occurred during the bill’s public hearing portion of the committee meeting and were limited to those who signed up to speak and to senators’ questions. The committee did not adopt an amendment or take a final vote on HB 151 at this session.
The committee said it would follow up with the secretary of state to confirm whether changing the term length would affect cities and report back to the committee before advancing the bill.
