Senate advances election-related bills; SF28 amended to require public testing and short objection window
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Summary
The Committee of the Whole advanced three election bills (SF28, SF30, SF80). A standing committee amendment to SF28 requires public testing of voting machines (with practical limits), shortens public notice from 5 to 2 days, retains certificates at county clerks with copies to the Secretary of State, and establishes a five‑day window to lodge objections after machines are sealed.
The Committee of the Whole took up several elections bills and approved them for further action. The most developed measure, Senate File 28 (voting‑machine and voting‑system tests), received a standing committee amendment that makes four practical changes:
- Public testing language: The bill requires tests be open to the public but the committee added language acknowledging clerks' custody and security responsibilities and suggested practical limits on venue and attendance.
- Notice timing: At county clerks' request the earlier requirement of 5 days' advance notice was shortened to 2 days to reduce scheduling burdens on clerks.
- Certificates and recordkeeping: Counties will retain the original certification document; a certified copy will be forwarded to the Secretary of State for statewide records.
- Objection window: To avoid last-minute, open-ended legal challenges, the amendment requires objections to the sealed and certified machines be filed within 5 days.
Senator Landon summarized the reasoning behind each change and the committee adopted the standing amendment. The Committee of the Whole then reported SF28 as "due pass, amended." Senate Files 30 (voter registration timing cleanup for 18-year-olds) and 80 (electronic communications for Department of Revenue notices) also received favorable recommendations out of the Committee of the Whole.