Requiring certain persons holding a state elective office to serve as an election official

What it would have done

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

This bill requires that each non-judicial elective state official, during the person's first term of office and once every three years during subsequent terms, serve as an election official for an election held where the person resides, not including an election in which the person is a candidate on the ballot. The requirement under the bill applies to the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state superintendent of public instruction, state senator, and state representative to the assembly.

The bill requires the non-judicial elective state official to be appointed and trained in the same manner as other election officials and to serve as an election official no fewer than eight hours on election day. Under the bill, the person receives no compensation for serving as an election official. In addition, after satisfying the requirement, the person must certify that fact to the Ethics Commission. However, the requirement does not apply to a person who files with the commission a sworn statement from a physician or physician assistant verifying that the person is physically incapable of serving as an election official for eight hours on election day.

Who's behind it

Jeff Smith, a Democrat, is its author⁠.

6 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.