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Clerks back bill to move COPP certification five days after candidate filing to ease ballot printing
Summary
County election clerks urged the committee to pass HB 455 to require Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) certification five days after candidate filing so ballots can be finalized and mailed on schedule; COPP provided historical context on recent statutory date changes.
Representative Julie Darling introduced House Bill 455 to adjust municipal candidate certification timelines so county election administrators receive certification earlier — five days after the candidate-filing deadline — which she said will allow timely ballot printing and reduce last-minute administrative confusion.
Connor Fitzpatrick of Lewis and Clark County Elections (speaking also for the Montana Association of Clerk and Recorders) said the five-day post-filing certification date aligns with municipal ballot schedules and would help counties that previously faced a September 30 certification deadline while ballots were already in production. Fitzpatrick described operational pressures in larger counties and endorsed the proposed timing.
Scott Cook from the Commissioner of Political Practices appeared as an informational witness and reviewed prior statutory updates (2023) that set certification dates for city candidates. Cook said COPP has implemented dates but had limited time to evaluate how this new change would interact with the prior statute; COPP said it will comply with dates the legislature sets.
The sponsor closed by calling HB 455 a simple administrative fix and asked the committee for a due pass. No votes were recorded at the hearing.
