HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB
1071
As Reported By
House Committee on:
State
Government
Title: An act relating to the appointment of precinct
election officers.
Brief Description: Changing provisions relating to the appointment
of precinct election officers.
Brief History:
Reported by House Committee on:
State Government, January 30,
1991, DP.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON
STATE
GOVERNMENT
Majority
Report: Do pass. Signed by 10 members: Representatives Anderson,
Chair; Pruitt, Vice Chair; McLean, Ranking Minority Member; Bowman; Chandler;
R. Fisher; Grant; Moyer; O'Brien; and Sheldon.
Staff: Kenneth Hirst (786-7105).
Background:
The Election Code requires the
chair of each county central committee to submit to the county auditor a list
of persons qualified to act as precinct election officers. The list must be
submitted at least 60 days before a primary or election. The auditor must
appoint precinct election officers from the names of persons on these lists.
For a precinct's three-member election board, the auditor must appoint two
officers from the political party whose candidate for President of the United
States at the last presidential election received the highest number of votes
in the county and one officer from the party whose candidate received the next
greatest number of votes.
Summary of Bill:
Lists of persons
qualified to serve as precinct election officers must be submitted by the
chairs of the county central committees to the county auditor by June 1st of
each year. The auditor may delete the names of persons from these lists
(called nomination lists) if the persons: indicate to the auditor that they
cannot or do not wish to serve as such officers or cannot otherwise so serve;
or lack the ability to conduct properly the duties of such an election officer
after training has been made available to them by the auditor. The auditor may
appoint as precinct election officers properly trained persons whose names are
not on these lists to the extent that the number of persons on the lists is
insufficient to provide the number of election officers required for a primary
or election.
The auditor must
appoint two precinct election officers from one political party and one from
another as specified by the Election Code only if the number of names on the
parties' nomination lists for these positions is sufficient to satisfy this
requirement.
Fiscal
Note:
Not requested.
Effective
Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony
For:
(1) At times, the lists submitted by the chairs of the county central
committees of the political parties do not provide enough polling place
officers to conduct an election. The bill provides alternatives in such a
case. (2) The list of potential election officers would be valid for an entire
year, rather than just for one primary or election.
Testimony
Against: None.
Witnesses: Karen Flynn, County Auditors'
Association (in favor); John Pearson, Office of the Secretary of State (in
favor); and Calvin Castle, precinct committee officer (in favor).