Section 1 of the bill clarifies the powers and duties of the secretary of state (secretary) to supervise the conduct of municipal and local government elections in addition to the secretary's existing powers and duties under the Uniform Election Code of 1992. To verify signatures of eligible electors in such elections, sections 2 and 5 of the bill require the secretary to provide to the designated election official (official) or municipal clerk (clerk), as applicable, for the use of election judges overseeing any elections, a copy of the 3 most recent signatures of each eligible elector that are stored in the statewide voter registration system. These sections of the bill further require that, in any election conducted under an election code incorporated into the Colorado revised statutes, 2 election judges are to compare the signature on the self-affirmation on each return envelope with the signature of the eligible elector that has been provided to the official or clerk by the secretary. If, upon comparing the signature of an eligible elector on the self-affirmation on the return envelope with the signature of the eligible elector stored in the statewide voter registration system, there is any disagreement between the 2 election judges as to whether there is a match, the discrepancy must be referred to the official or clerk. If the official or clerk determines the signatures match, and if the ballot is otherwise valid, the ballot must be counted in conformity with existing procedures under the Uniform Election Code of 1992. If the official or clerk determines the signatures do not match, existing procedures for resolving a discrepancy caused by signatures that do not match must be followed.
Sections 3 and 4 of the bill require the secretary to establish by rule a uniform administrative complaint procedure that is open to any individual who witnesses a violation of the election codes governing municipal or local government elections. The bill specifies the matters the rules must address.

Year

2015

Current status

  • 02/04/2015 - House Committee on State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Postpone Indefinitely
  • 01/07/2015 - Introduced In House - Assigned to State, Veterans, & Military Affairs

Sponsors

Neville/Neville

Bill number

HB15-1051

Position

Oppose