Senate Elections Committee approves Secretary of State election-administration bill with authors amendment

The Senate Elections Committee on March 13 advanced Senate File 2384, the Office of the Secretary of States election-administration bill, voting to pass the measure as amended and sending it to the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.

The bill, introduced by Senator Westland, contains a wide set of technical and policy changes intended to adjust absentee-voting timelines, update ballot handling procedures, require counties to file chain-of-custody plans, and codify use of the states Election Night Reporting System (ERS) for unofficial results.

Senator Westland, the bills author, said the measure "includes provisions to improve the way that our elections function for voters across race and place, and it's brought forward by voters and local election administrators." Counsel King Stengel and Nicole Freeman of the secretary of states office walked the committee through the bills sections and the A4 authors amendment. Freeman, identified as Nicole Freeman, Office of the Secretary of State, said the changes reflected "collaboration and input from our local election partners, in MAKO, AMC, LMC, the township association, as well as individual jurisdictions."

The A4 amendment, described in committee as an authors amendment, was adopted by voice vote early in the hearing. The committee later adopted a motion to pass the bill as amended and forward it to the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.

Major provisions explained to the committee include: - Election-day registration and…