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Committee advances bill creating electronic reporting for troubled election officials and new penalties
Summary
Senate Bill 100, sponsored by Senator Daley, was amended and advanced by the Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections on April 8.
Senate Bill 100, sponsored by Senator Daley, was amended and advanced by the Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections during the April 8 work session.
Pepper Sturm summarized the bill and the amendment. The measure requires city and county election officials to notify the Secretary of State if they cannot perform required duties in a timely manner. The amendment creates an electronic voting-reporting mechanism, directs the Secretary of State to adopt regulations describing timelines for key election duties and events that could cause delays, and sets out notification and escalation steps when duties are not timely performed. If an election official or oversight body fails to address a reported failure within 48 hours, the Secretary of State must notify the attorney general; the AG must initiate proceedings within 30 days. If an official willfully fails to act within 72 hours, the Secretary of State may seek a writ of mandamus to compel performance.
The amendment also deletes a prior provision authorizing the Secretary of State to petition a court to relieve an election official from duties and removes a voter’s standing to request a court-appointed special master. The amendment revises effective dates to allow time for the Secretary of State to adopt necessary regulations.
Senator Krasner said he would vote yes in committee to move the bill but reserved the right to change his vote later, noting he was still reviewing the amendment. Senator Steinbeck abstained from final approval at committee by recording a no on the motion to advance; the committee recorded the bill as passing by a 4–1 margin. The committee gave the floor statement to Vice Chair Daley.
What this means: SB 100 establishes a formal, electronic escalation path and regulatory framework for dealing with local election administrators who cannot meet statutory duties. It also creates a timeline for AG action and gives the Secretary of State authority to seek mandamus in narrow circumstances after administrative notice and delay.
