Committee adopts amendment and advances bill consolidating poll posting requirements

Senate Bill 293, amended in committee, consolidates existing statutory requirements for what must be posted at polling places. Chris Madison, director for the state board of election commissioners, told the committee the measure compiles scattered posting requirements into one code section to help poll workers and monitors ensure required materials are present.

An amendment was adopted to strike a provision that had created a new sign-in-the-window requirement and raised concerns about private-property and campaign-material questions beyond the 100‑foot exclusion zone. The amended bill retains statutory posting requirements but removes the contested signage provision.

Committee members raised operational questions: the timeline for the secretary of state to provide certified abstracts for posting (current code requires distribution not less than 18 days before the election), whether “posted on the wall” language could be interpreted to require attaching to facility walls instead of poster boards or easels, and how the provision for poll-worker signatures operates where multiple poll workers are present. Sponsor and staff said the language largely consolidates existing law and that they will pursue follow-up technical fixes in separate legislation if necessary.

The committee adopted the amendment (mover: Senator Hammer; second: Senator Sullivan) and later voted to pass the bill as amended (mover: Senator Hammer; second: Senator Payton); the chair announced the bill passed as amended.