House Committee Substitute

HCS/SB 99 - This act allows certain third class cities to eliminate, by ordinance or order, primary elections for mayor and councilmen offices. Any person wishing to become a candidate for these offices must file a statement of candidacy with the city clerk in order to be placed on the ballot.

The act also lowers the minimum age required for a person to serve as an alderman in a fourth class city from twenty-one to eighteen years of age.

The act requires each election authority to remove from the registration records the name of any voter reported dead within thirty days of the death of the voter.

The act repeals the requirement that the voting machines used in presidential elections must permit the voter to vote by use of a single lever for the candidates of one party or group of petitioners for president, vice president and their presidential electors. The act also repeals the provision which requires voting machines to be provided with a mechanical model, which illustrates the manner of voting on the machine.

The act repeals the requirement that voting machines shall be placed so that ballot labels can be plainly seen by the election judges when not in use, and repeals the requirement that absentee ballots shall have the words "Official Absentee Ballot" appear on the ballot.

Currently, the election authority appoints a sufficient number of teams consisting of four election judges on each team, two judges from each party, to count absentee votes. This act repeals the requirement of four judges per team and provides that each team shall be comprised of an equal number of judges from each political party. The act also repeals the provision prohibiting absentee ballots from being counted by the same person who removed the ballots from their envelops.

The act repeals the provision which mandates that the election authority shall have pasters prepared to add or delete names on printed ballots, and removes ballot labels from the list of items that the election authority must deliver to each polling place before the polls open.

The act changes the time when election judges must open the ballot box and show to all present that it is empty from "after the time fixed by law for the opening of the polls but before the voting begins" to "not more than one hour before the voting begins."

The act removes ballot cards from the type of paper ballots that election judges must initial after the voter's identification certificate has been initialed. The act also removes language requiring the election judges to seal the ballot envelope before placing it in the ballot box.

The act provides that when paper ballots are used then the voter shall place a distinguishing mark immediately beside the name of the candidate for which the voter intends to vote. The act removes the provision which allows a voter to cross out a name on the ballot and write in a name of a person not on the ballot when a write-in line is not provided.

The act removes provisions specifying that when voting machines are used the voter shall go alone to a voting machine and register votes as directed. The act also repeals the provisions allowing the use of a sticker or other item containing a write-in candidate's name in lieu of a handwritten name.

The act removes the requirement that after the proper votes on a ballot have been counted then the ballot shall be strung on a wire, and upon recording of the count the wire shall be knotted and sealed. The act also repeals provisions which address the election authority's responsibilities when counting ballots cast by punch card voting systems.

The act extends the time period that the election authority shall keep election ballots, records, and materials from twelve months to twenty-two months.

Currently when a candidate has originally filed for a recount of the votes or the ballot question with the secretary of state then the candidate who was defeated by less than one percent of the votes is allowed a recount by filing with the secretary of state. This act changes the standard to require that the candidate must be defeated by less than one-half of one percent for the candidate to receive a recount by the Secretary of State.

The act requires the department of health and senior services to establish a notification system which requires certificates of death to be reported to the appropriate election authorities.

Current statute provides that all public administrators are to be elected in the county or city they serve. This act will make the St. Louis City public administrator an appointed position. The public administrator will be appointed by a majority of the circuit and associate circuit judges of the 22nd judicial circuit. The qualifications and requirements for this appointed position will be the same as those for elected public administrators.

Provisions in this act are similar to HB 163 (2013); HB 65 (2013); HB 199 (2013); HB 54 (2013); and HB 865 (2013).

JESSICA BAKER


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