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Committee approves moving top-of-ticket audits to after recounts to reduce volunteer burden
Summary
House Bill 261 would let local recounts occur before top-of-ticket audits; sponsors and the secretary of state supported the change as a modest procedural shift to reduce volunteer and counsel time at recount events.
Representative Ross Berry introduced House Bill 261 to the Senate Election Law and Municipal Affairs Committee as a procedural change intended to reduce the burden on volunteers and attorneys during recounts.
“Hopefully, this will be the world's shortest hearing,” Representative Ross Berry told the committee, then explained that the bill would allow the mandated top-of-ticket audits to occur after the recount rather than before it, so volunteers and counsel need not wait through an audit before the recount they came to observe.
A municipal representative stated the audits had been designed to take advantage of ballots already present for recounts, but the author of that work said the audit was intended to be secondary to the recount process and could be done afterwards. The secretary of state's office signaled support for the change. Committee members said the bill would streamline procedures and reduce volunteer time and counsel cost.
The committee voted by voice to advance the bill with a recommendation that it pass. No roll-call tally was recorded in committee.
