Senate committee carries over post‑election audit bill after discussion of high estimated costs

Committee members debated HB95, legislation addressing post‑election audits. The chair said a substitute amendment had been provided that staff and some probate judges found acceptable, but several senators said they had not yet consulted their probate judges and asked for more time.

A committee member cited an earlier fiscal notice that estimated costs ‘‘about $35,000 per day’’ for the audit process. Other members asked for clarification about the audit procedures; one senator described the proposal as a technical comparison to verify that voting machines worked correctly rather than a measure that would change the election process. Another senator noted that machines are expensive and that probate judges in his district opposed the bill.

Given outstanding questions about scope, cost and local probate-judge concerns, the chair moved to carry the bill over to the next meeting for further review and consultation. The motion to carry was approved and the committee adjourned with the item continued to a later date.