SB 145 - This act creates a system to allow voters to cast advance ballots at central voting locations and satellite sites. The advance voting period will begin the third Wednesday prior to an election and shall be conducted between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and until 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The election authority shall consider factors including geographic location and demographics of the registered voters from the previous election to ensure nondiscrimination and provide adequate notice of the central locations and the satellite sites that are chosen. Election authorities shall create lists of names and addresses of each voter casting an advance ballot and such lists shall be confidential until 8:00 a.m. on the Friday before the election. Upon expiration of the confidential period, authorized individuals are entitled to view the lists and the election authority may make copies of the lists available to those individuals for a fee. A violation of confidentiality is a class four election offense. Provisions regarding advance voting become effective January 1, 2014.
Currently, in certain jurisdictions, candidates, campaign committees, and those authorized by a candidate are entitled to view lists of applications for absentee ballots before 8 A.M. on the Friday prior to the election and in other jurisdictions, that information is kept confidential until after 8 A.M. on the Friday prior to the election. Under this act, those lists in all jurisdictions are to remain confidential until after 8 A.M. on the Friday prior to the election. Confidentiality regarding lists of information regarding voters who cast advanced ballots shall be treated the same way. At 8 A.M. on the Friday prior to the election, candidates, campaign committee representatives, persons with written authorization from a candidate, any person who has applied for an absentee ballot, or any person who has cast an advance ballot may view the lists. Persons who knowingly disclose confidential information shall be guilty of a class four election offense.
This act is similar to SB 859 (2006), SB 37 (2007), SB 1251 (2008), SB 523 (2009), SB 21 (2009), SB 651 (2010), SB 3 (2011), SB 105 (2011), HB 1438 (2012), and SB 603 (2012).
CHRIS HOGERTY