Committee advances bill creating municipal election accountability board after questions on composition

The Government Administration and Elections Committee considered Senate Bill 387, a proposal to establish a 15-member Municipal Election Accountability Board with authority to oversee municipal election administration, refer election irregularities and adopt implementing regulations.

Representative Haxa (Representative, S6) asked for clarity on the boards role and composition, noting concerns about statewide scope and who appoints members. The chair (S1) said the board is intended to assist municipalities that administer elections and to step in only in cases requiring intervention; the board would include the Secretary of the State or designee as chair, the executive director of the State Elections Enforcement Commission or designee, nine appointees of the Secretary of the State (subject to advice and consent of the General Assembly), and one member appointed by each of the four legislative leaders.

Senator Sampson (S3) said earlier versions drew his objections but that the current text addresses many concerns, calling the proposal a bipartisan mechanism with checks and balances to address municipal election problems such as those described in Bridgeport. "It's very close...a lot of effort went into addressing the concerns," S3 said.

After discussion, the committee called the roll and recorded votes. The committee also discussed procedural safeguards, the referral mechanism to the Secretary of the State and the board's authority to adopt regulations to implement provisions.

The committee's action advances the bill to the next step in the legislative process.