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Senate committee advances SB 250 requiring unofficial election-night results within 24 hours amid debate over DS200 tabulators and paper ballots
Summary
The Senate State Agencies & Govt'l Affairs Committee passed SB 250 as amended, which would require unofficial election-night results to be posted upon completion but no later than 24 hours; testimony and questioning focused on DS200 tabulators, third‑party vendors (Clarity, Edison), county costs for paper ballots, and whether the 24‑hour rule applies to central counts.
The Senate State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee voted to pass SB 250 as amended after a committee hearing where lawmakers and witnesses debated a new 24‑hour rule for posting unofficial election results and whether counties would be compelled to use specific tabulators.
Senator Hammer, sponsor of the measure, and committee members adopted an amendment restoring language that requires unofficial early‑voting, absentee or precinct results to be published "as soon as" they are tabulated but in any event no later than 24 hours. The committee approved the bill as amended by voice vote.
Why it matters: supporters said the change would make preliminary results more timely and ensure a consistent, accountable procedure for counties that choose to use paper ballots; critics said the timing and equipment mandates could discourage paper ballots, raise costs for some counties, and leave unresolved questions about how results flow from precinct machines to statewide reporting.
What happened in the hearing
The committee's technical questioning centered on the DS200 tabulator and how precinct results reach the Secretary of State's public site. A staff witness explained counties commonly transfer results from DS200 machines to thumb drives, aggregate them on a county laptop (Electionware/ESS), and then upload aggregated files; counties retain ballots…
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