Certification of election observers

What it does

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, any member of the public may be present at a polling place, a designated alternative absentee ballot site, or at the office of a municipal clerk to observe an election and the absentee voting process. Current law permits the chief inspector or municipal clerk to designate areas within the polling place, alternate site, or municipal office from which members of the public may observe, provided those observation areas permit the members of the public to readily observe all public aspects of the voting process. The chief inspector at any polling place or the municipal clerk may limit the number of observers representing the same organization who are permitted to observe the election or absentee voting process at the same time.

This bill requires the chief inspector and the municipal clerk to designate an observation area for election observers that is within three feet of the table at which electors announce their name and address to be issued a voter number and within three feet of the table at which a person may register to vote. Under the bill, the chief inspector or municipal clerk may permit an election observer to sit at either table, provided the observer is not permitted to observe confidential information. The bill also requires each election observer to print his or her name and sign and date a log maintained for the polling place.

Who's behind it

5 representatives are its authors⁠. All 5 are Republicans.

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

• Amendment Histories
• LC Amendment Memo