CCS SS SCS HCS HB 676 -- ELECTIONS

This bill makes several changes to election laws.  The bill:

(1)  Requires candidates to file financial interest statements
within 21 days, not 25 days, after the close of filing for
election;

(2)  Removes the requirement that petition circulators be
registered voters;

(3)  Allows counties to be reimbursed for election costs.  This
may include costs associated with reimbursement of election
authority employees, indirect election expenses, and up to 5% of
the total cost of the election credited to the county Election
Services Fund.  In addition, the state, subject to
appropriations, must compensate the Election Services Fund for
transactions made pursuant to the electronic transactions of
data regarding voters;

(4)  Allows challengers at the polls during the presidential
primary election to collect and reveal information about the
party affiliation of voters;

(5)  Changes the date of the presidential primary election from
April to March;

(6)  Allows election authorities or political subdivisions to
hold random drawings for ballot positions for candidates running
in nonpartisan elections;

(7)  Revises the voter registration application to make place of
birth optional and the last 4 digits of one's Social Security
number required for registration;

(8)  Makes it the responsibility of local election authorities,
not the Secretary of State, to set fees for copying voter
registration lists;

(9)  States that all election authorities must forward voter
history via computers within 6 months after the election to the
centralized voter registration system maintained by the
Secretary of State;

(10)  Specifies that the use of the term "electronic media" does
not mean that voter information will be available on the
internet;

(11)  Allows any polling place that uses an electronic voting
system to use separate paper ballots for the presidential
primary election;

(12)  Requires any person providing assistance to an absentee
voter to sign a statement on the ballot envelope that the person
assisted the voter and to provide his or her name and address
with the statement;

(13)  Requires mailing envelopes used to return absentee ballots
to have business reply permits not requiring postage, which will
be paid by the Secretary of State through state appropriations;

(14)  Prohibits the election authority in St. Louis County from
releasing the list of persons applying for absentee ballots
until the Friday before an election.  This prohibition currently
applies to the election authorities in St. Louis, Kansas City,
and Jackson County;

(15)  Requires candidates' addresses to be on the candidate
declaration form;

(16)  Allows a person to run for President of the United States
and appear on the presidential primary ballot as a party
candidate for another office;

(17)  Removes the gap in time between the deadline for voluntary
withdrawals as a candidate and the date court-ordered
withdrawals begin;

(18)  Clarifies that the Secretary of State or local election
authorities must give notice of candidate vacancies to the chair
or vice chair of the appropriate nominating committees;

(19)  Prohibits a nominating committee chair from selecting
himself or herself as the committee's candidate;

(20)  Requires candidates filing declarations of intent to be
write-in candidates for state or federal offices to file these
declarations with the Secretary of State.  For other offices,
write-in candidates will continue to file their declarations
with local election authorities.  However, election authorities
must notify the proper filing officers of write-in candidates;

(21)  Requires absentee ballots to be reported separately when
the verification board issues a statement of election results,
except when such reporting would reveal how any single voter
voted.  This provision does not require the tabulation of
absentee ballots by precinct on election night;

(22)  Moves the deadline for local election authorities to
deliver their abstract of votes to the Secretary of State from
the Thursday after the second Tuesday after an election to the
second Tuesday after an election;

(23)  Allows the names of political party committeemen and
committeewomen to appear on the ballot;

(24)  Lets political parties hold their meetings at the county
courthouse for no charge in first classification counties.  This
is already done in second and third classification counties;

(25)  Sets new meeting dates for legislative and senatorial
district committees;

(26)  Changes provisions on when to file and how to file for the
presidential primary election;

(27)  Requires the state to pay its proportionate share for the
cost of the presidential primary election.  The state must also
help any county with more than 500 polling places to secure
adequate poll workers and equipment for the presidential primary
election;

(28)  Makes knowingly signing an initiative or referendum
petition with a false name, more than once, or without
registering to vote punishable by up to one year in prison and a
$10,000 fine;

(29)  Has the notary include his or her address on initiative
and referendum petitions;

(30)  Requires a petition circulator to designate in the upper
right-hand corner on each petition page the county where
signatures are collected.  Any signatures from voters registered
outside the designated county are invalid;

(31)  Dictates that petition circulators must register with the
Secretary of State;

(32)  Makes falsely swearing to a circulator's affidavit or
paying someone to sign any petition punishable by up to one year
in prison and a $10,000 fine;

(33) Requires one submission of all initiative or referendum
petition pages to the Secretary of State;

(34)  Makes filing a false withdrawal statement with the
Secretary of State, claiming a voter wants to withdraw his or
her signature from a petition, punishable by up to one year in
prison and a $10,000 fine;

(35)  Invalidates any signatures collected by circulators who
have not registered, or on petition pages that do not list the
official ballot title;

(36)  States that the Secretary of State will decide the process
for conducting a random sample and determining the statistically
valid result for verifying petition signatures;

(37)  Changes the deadline for the Secretary of State to forward
copies of all petition pages to local election authorities for
verification as follows:

(a)  Within 2 weeks when one or two petitions are filed;

(b)  Within 3 weeks when three petitions are filed; and

(c)  Within 4 weeks when four or more petitions are filed;

(38)  Invalidates signatures on petitions struck through or
crossed out;

(39)  Requires election authorities to complete their
verification of each petition signature by the last Tuesday in
July;

(40)  Requires the Secretary of State to certify a petition by
the thirteenth Tuesday before the general election;

(41)  Gives authority to the General Assembly to include the
official summary statement and fiscal note summary for any
statewide ballot measure that it refers to the voters.  Each
summary can be up to 50 words long, excluding articles;

(42)  Allows the proposition letter to remain on a statewide
ballot measure, once labeled, even if the measure does not
appear on the ballot at the next general election;

(43)  Requires the filing of campaign finance reports by
statewide candidates to be done electronically, except when
candidates spend or receive less than $5,000 during a reporting
period.  Continuing committees must file electronically if they
make more than $15,000 in contributions to support or oppose
ballot measures or candidates in a year.  Both requirements
apply once the Ethics Commission successfully establishes an
electronic reporting system;

(44)  Eliminates the need for an election to select hospital
trustees, if there are no more candidates for hospital trustees
than there are positions to fill.  Such candidates will assume
their offices in the time and manner as if elected;

(45)  Allows local election authorities to rename local ballot
issues, before printing the ballot, if requested by political
subdivisions who happen to have similarly titled measures;

(46)  Makes the state pay for reprinting a statewide election
ballot when court-ordered changes to statewide ballot measures
make reprinting necessary;

(47)  Disqualifies as a candidate for municipal office any
person who is in arrears for unpaid city taxes or municipal user
fees;

(48)  Allows a state political party committee to remove a
member by a two-thirds vote of the committee;

(49)  Deletes outdated laws relating to filling candidate
vacancies, entering dates on ballots, defining established
political parties, and binding delegates at national party
conventions; and

(50)  Deletes the provision that election authorities must seize
campaign materials that mislead voters to believe a candidate is
the incumbent for the office sought.

The bill has an emergency clause for the provisions about the
initiative and referendum (items 28-42).

HCS HB 676 -- ELECTIONS (Days)

This substitute makes several changes to election laws.  The
substitute:

(1)  Requires candidates to file financial interest statements
within 21 days, not 25 days, after the close of filing for
election;

(2)  Removes the requirement that petition circulators be
registered voters;

(3)  Allows challengers at the polls during the presidential
primary election to collect and reveal information about the
party affiliation of voters;

(4)  Changes the date of the presidential primary election from
April to March;

(5)  Revises the voter registration application to make place of
birth optional and the last four digits of one's Social Security
Number required for registration;

(6)  Makes it the responsibility of local election authorities,
not the Secretary of State, to set fees for copying voter
registration lists;

(7)  States that all election authorities must forward voter
history via computers within 6 months after the election to the
centralized voter registration system maintained by the
Secretary of State;

(8)  Specifies that the use of the term "electronic media" does
not mean that voter information will be available on the
Internet;

(9)  Clarifies provisions relating to permanently disabled
voters;

(10)  Applies the prohibition against helping multiple voters to
vote at the polls to absentee ballots.  This prohibition does
not apply to election judges, immediate family members,
bipartisan ballot collection teams, or the election authority if
voters come to the election authority's office;

(11)  Requires candidates' addresses on the candidate
declaration form;

(12)  Removes the gap in time between the deadline for voluntary
withdrawals as a candidate and the date court-ordered
withdrawals begin;

(13)  Clarifies that the Secretary of State or local election
authorities must give notice of candidate vacancies to the chair
or vice chair of the appropriate nominating committees;

(14)  Prohibits a nominating committee chair from selecting
himself or herself as the committee's candidate;

(15)  Requires candidates filing declarations of intent to be
write-in candidates for state or federal offices to file these
declarations with the Secretary of State.  For other offices,
write-in candidates will continue to file their declarations
with local election authorities.  However, election authorities
must notify the proper filing officers of write-in candidates;

(16)  Clarifies the process and forms for delivering election
returns to the Secretary of State;

(17)  Sets new meeting dates for county, congressional,
legislative, senatorial, and judicial district committees;

(18)  Removes the provision that election authorities must seize
campaign materials that mislead voters to believe a candidate is
the incumbent for the office sought;

(19)  Changes provisions on when to file and how to file for the
presidential primary election;

(20)  Requires the state to pay its proportionate share for the
cost of the presidential primary election;

(21)  Deletes outdated laws relating to filling candidate
vacancies, entering dates on ballots, defining established
political parties, and binding delegates at national party
conventions;

(22)  Prohibits the election authority in St. Louis County from
releasing the list of persons applying for absentee ballots
until the Friday before an election.  This prohibition currently
applies to the election authorities in St. Louis, Kansas City,
and Jackson County;

(23)  Requires election authorities to establish absentee ballot
teams to help impaired voters fill out their absentee ballots
and to collect these ballots.  The teams will include one member
from the two major political parties;

(24)  Allows election authorities to accept photocopies of voter
registration forms if an original signature is on the form;

(25)  Lets political parties hold their meetings at the county
courthouse for no charge in first class counties.  This is
already done in second and third class counties;

(26)  Makes it a class four election offense to post signs
supporting or opposing candidates or ballot questions anywhere
on the property of polling places on election days.  The maximum
penalty for class four election offenses is one year in prison
and a $2,500 fine;

(27)  Requires the Governor to call for a special election
within 30 days of a legislator's resignation, notice of vacancy,
or death; and

(28)  Makes the state pay for reprinting a statewide election
ballot when circumstances beyond the control of local election
authorities make reprinting necessary.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Net Cost to General Revenue Fund of
$1,935,960 to Unknown in FY 2000, $163,152 to Unknown in FY
2001, and $163,152 to Unknown in FY 2002.

HCS HB 676 -- ELECTIONS

SPONSOR:  Days

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Elections
by a vote of 15 to 2.

This substitute makes several changes to election laws.  The
substitute:

(1)  Requires candidates to file financial interest statements
within 21 days, not 25 days, after the close of filing for
election;

(2)  Removes the requirement that petition circulators be
registered voters;

(3)  Allows challengers at the polls during the presidential
primary election to collect and reveal information about the
party affiliation of voters;

(4)  Changes the date of the presidential primary election from
April to March;

(5)  Revises the voter registration application to make place of
birth optional and the last four digits of one's Social Security
Number required for registration;

(6)  Makes it the responsibility of local election authorities,
not the Secretary of State, to set fees for copying voter
registration lists;

(7)  States that all election authorities must forward voter
history via computers within 6 months after the election to the
centralized voter registration system maintained by the
Secretary of State;

(8)  Specifies that the use of the term "electronic media" does
not mean that voter information will be available on the
Internet;

(9)  Clarifies provisions relating to permanently disabled
voters;

(10)  Applies the prohibition against helping multiple voters to
vote at the polls to absentee ballots.  This prohibition does
not apply to election judges, immediate family members,
bipartisan ballot collection teams, or the election authority if
voters come to the election authority's office;

(11)  Requires candidates' addresses on the candidate
declaration form;

(12)  Removes the gap in time between the deadline for voluntary
withdrawals as a candidate and the date court-ordered
withdrawals begin;

(13)  Clarifies that the Secretary of State or local election
authorities must give notice of candidate vacancies to the chair
or vice chair of the appropriate nominating committees;

(14)  Prohibits a nominating committee chair from selecting
himself or herself as the committee's candidate;

(15)  Requires candidates filing declarations of intent to be
write-in candidates for state or federal offices to file these
declarations with the Secretary of State.  For other offices,
write-in candidates will continue to file their declarations
with local election authorities.  However, election authorities
must notify the proper filing officers of write-in candidates;

(16)  Clarifies the process and forms for delivering election
returns to the Secretary of State;

(17)  Sets new meeting dates for county, congressional,
legislative, senatorial, and judicial district committees;

(18)  Removes the provision that election authorities must seize
campaign materials that mislead voters to believe a candidate is
the incumbent for the office sought;

(19)  Changes provisions on when to file and how to file for the
presidential primary election;

(20)  Requires the state to pay its proportionate share for the
cost of the presidential primary election; and

(21)  Deletes outdated laws relating to filling candidate
vacancies, entering dates on ballots, defining established
political parties, and binding delegates at national party
conventions.

FISCAL NOTE:  Cost to General Revenue Fund of $1,800,000 in FY
2000, $0 in FY 2001, and $0 in FY 2002.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters of the original bill say that this bill
makes needed changes to the administration of Missouri's
presidential primary.  Senate Bill 709 (1998) reestablished a
presidential primary in Missouri.  Specifically, the Democratic
and Republican national committees wanted the changes included
in the bill before they would tie the primary results to
delegate selection.  The bill also moves the date of the primary
up to March, so Missouri's primary can make a difference in the
presidential nomination process.  Finally, the bill includes
cleanup language to aid the administration of elections in
Missouri and to conform with federal election laws.

Testifying for the original bill were Representative Days;
Secretary of State's Office; and Missouri Association of County
Clerks and Election Authorities.

OPPONENTS:  Those who oppose the original bill say that
administering a March presidential primary would be extremely
difficult for some election authorities.  Considering the
February supplemental election and April municipal election day,
some election authorities would be conducting three county-wide
elections in 3 months.  Opponents also raised concerns about
making voter information available in electronic media.  They
worried this provision might mean that voter information would
go on the Internet.

Testifying against the original bill were Board of Election
Commissioners of St. Louis County.

Marty Romitti, Legislative Analyst

HB 676 -- Elections

Co-Sponsors:  Days, Long

This bill makes several changes to election laws.  The bill:

(1)  Requires candidates to file financial interest statements
within 21 days, not 25 days, after the close of filing for
election;

(2)  Removes the requirement that petition circulators be
registered voters;

(3)  Allows challengers at the polls during the presidential
primary election to collect and reveal information about the
party affiliation of voters;

(4)  Changes the date of the presidential primary election from
April to March;

(5)  Revises the voter registration application to make place of
birth optional and the last four digits of one's Social Security
Number required for registration;

(6)  Makes it the responsibility of local election authorities,
not the Secretary of State, to set fees for copying voter
registration lists;

(7)  States that all election authorities must forward voter
history via computers to the centralized voter registration
system maintained by the Secretary of State;

(8)  Clarifies provisions relating to permanently disabled
voters;

(9)  Applies the prohibition against helping multiple voters to
vote at the polls to absentee ballots.  This prohibition does
not apply to election judges, immediate family members, or
bipartisan ballot collection teams;

(10)  Requires candidates' addresses on the candidate
declaration form;

(11)  Allows a person to run for President of the United States
and appear on the presidential primary ballot as a party
candidate for another office;

(12)  Removes the gap in time between the deadline for voluntary
withdrawals as a candidate and the date court-ordered
withdrawals begin;

(13)  Clarifies that the Secretary of State or local election
authorities must give notice of candidate vacancies to the chair
or vice chair of the appropriate nominating committees;

(14)  Prohibits a nominating committee chair from selecting
himself or herself as the committee's candidate;

(15)  Requires candidates filing a declaration of intent to be a
write-in candidate to file these declarations with the
appropriate filing officer;

(16)  Clarifies the process and forms for delivering election
returns to the Secretary of State;

(17)  Sets new meeting dates for county, congressional,
legislative, senatorial, and judicial district committees;

(18)  Removes the provision that election authorities must seize
campaign materials that mislead voters to believe a candidate is
the incumbent for the office sought;

(19)  Changes provisions on when to file and how to file for the
presidential primary election;

(20)  Requires the state to pay its proportionate share for the
cost of the presidential primary election; and

(21)  Deletes outdated laws relating to filling candidate
vacancies, entering dates on ballots, defining established
political parties, and binding delegates at national party
conventions.