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Secretary of State confirms technical edits to LD 16‑66 language on ranked‑choice vote tabulation
Summary
Committee analysts flagged mismatches between printed LD 16‑66 text and current statute (count vs. tabulate; 'declared the winner' vs. 'is elected'); the Secretary of State's deputy confirmed language updates and the committee prepared to process a final language amendment.
The committee reviewed technical language discrepancies in LD 16‑66 related to ranked‑choice voting terminology and directed technical edits to align the printed amendment with current law.
Analyst Rachel Olsen explained that intervening statutory changes had introduced new terminology in current law — for example, 'tabulate' rather than 'count' in several subsections and 'is elected' replacing the longer phrase 'is declared the winner of the election.' She flagged specific instances in sections 2 and 7 and asked the committee whether the Secretary of State's office could confirm these are technical changes rather than substantive policy shifts.
Deputy Secretary of State Emily Cook and staff reviewed the suggested edits and told the committee they had prepared consistent language changes (change references to 'count' or 'counts' to 'tabulate' or 'tabulation'; replace 'removed from consideration' with 'eliminated'; simplify phrasing to 'is elected' where appropriate). Cook said staff had checked for unintended consequences and prepared a full written amendment for the committee's consideration.
Committee members agreed to proceed with the technical edits; the analyst confirmed there would be no fiscal note. The committee indicated it would report the bill out after Ross processes the final language. The chair closed the part of the agenda on LD 16‑66 and moved to other business.
