SB428 - Elections; ranked choice voting, locally elected offices.

3 Co-Sponsors

Elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; locally elected offices; report. Clarifies the requirements for conducting elections using ranked choice voting and requires the results for elections conducted by ranked choice voting to be reported along with other results reported on election night, except that such results must clearly be identified as preliminary and based on the first rankings in a ranked choice voting election. The bill provides that final tabulation for an election is required to be conducted on the same day as other results are canvassed by the local electoral board. The bill specifies that ranking data is required to be made publicly available by the Department of Elections and requires the State Board of Elections to provide standards and to approve vote tabulating software for use with existing voting systems in elections conducted by ranked choice voting. The bill specifies that risk-limiting audits of elections conducted using ranked choice voting are limited to the first choice rankings reported on voting systems and provides that, while risk-limiting audits of elections conducted using ranked choice voting may be requested by localities, no such election may be included in any random drawing required to satisfy the general requirements for risk-limiting audits nor shall a risk-limiting audit of such election count toward satisfying any such general requirements. The bill specifies that the State Board is required to produce generalized voter education materials on ranked choice voting and is also permitted to create and modify recount procedures to the extent necessary to accommodate a recount of an election. Finally, the bill directs the Department to review the testing and approval framework for voting equipment in the Commonwealth and to submit a report of such review no later than the first day of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Elections; conduct of election; ranked choice voting; locally elected offices; report. Clarifies the requirements for conducting elections using ranked choice voting and requires the results for elections conducted by ranked choice voting to be reported along with other results reported on election night, except that such results must clearly be identified as preliminary and based on the first rankings in a ranked choice voting election. The bill provides that final tabulation for an election is required to be conducted on the same day as other results are canvassed by the local electoral board. The bill specifies that ranking data is required to be made publicly available by the Department of Elections and requires the State Board of Elections to provide standards and to approve vote tabulating software for use with existing voting systems in elections conducted by ranked choice voting. The bill specifies that risk-limiting audits of elections conducted using ranked choice voting are limited to the first choice rankings reported on voting systems and provides that, while risk-limiting audits of elections conducted using ranked choice voting may be requested by localities, no such election may be included in any random drawing required to satisfy the general requirements for risk-limiting audits nor shall a risk-limiting audit of such election count toward satisfying any such general requirements. The bill specifies that the State Board is required to produce generalized voter education materials on ranked choice voting and is also permitted to create and modify recount procedures to the extent necessary to accommodate a recount of an election. Finally, the bill directs the Department to review the testing and approval framework for voting equipment in the Commonwealth and to submit a report of such review no later than the first day of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.