Committee cleans up advanced‑voting timelines, moves registration deadline earlier
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Summary
HB 24‑53 was amended to clarify weekend in‑person voting is optional (last in‑person time Sunday at noon), to move the voter registration deadline to the Friday before early voting begins, and to align March‑election registration timing with August/November rules; the committee advanced the measure after extended debate about legislative process and consultation with clerks.
The Committee on Elections amended and advanced House Bill 24‑53, a package of changes affecting advanced voting and voter registration deadlines that proponents described as a cleanup of prior committee work.
The revisor said the bill moves some timelines (for instance, ballot transmittal by mail up to 14 days before the election) and sets the voter registration deadline at 23 days prior to Election Day. During committee work the panel adopted three amendments: (1) language clarifying that counties are not required to hold Saturday or Sunday in‑person voting and that the last in‑person voting time is Sunday at noon (clerks may finish existing lines), (2) moving the registration deadline to the Friday before early voting begins (to resolve confusion about the prior Sunday deadline), and (3) technical alignment so that March elections follow the same registration timeline as August and November elections.
Several members criticized the speed of the committee process and urged closer consultation with county clerks and other local officials; proponents said the committee hearing and amendment process is the place for those fixes. Vice Chairman moved that the committee pass HB 24‑53 as amended; the committee advanced the bill with several members recorded as voting no.
The bill will proceed to the next legislative stage.
