STATEMENT TO

SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE, No. 3203

with Senate Floor Amendments

(Proposed by Senator GILL)

ADOPTED: FEBRUARY 19, 2021

      These Senate amendments modify the appointment of challengers for early voting, as follows:

      (1) The chairperson of the county committee of a political party or the chairperson of the municipal committee of the political party, as the case may be, may appoint two challengers for each grouping of candidates choosing to be grouped together on the ballot for each early voting site in the chairperson's county or municipality, as the case may be. If two or more candidates choosing to be grouped together on the ballot do not belong to an organization represented by a county or municipal committee of any political party, as the case may be, the candidate listed on the highest position on the ballot for that grouping of candidates may appoint two challengers for that grouping of candidates for each early voting site in the county or municipality, as the case may be. 

      (2) A candidate who has filed a petition for an office to be voted for at the primary election, and a candidate for an office whose name may appear upon the ballot to be used in any election, may act as a challenger. A candidate who is not grouped with any other candidate on the ballot may appoint two challengers for each early voting site at which the candidate is to appear on the ballot, but only two challengers shall be allowed for each early voting site to represent all the candidates choosing to be grouped together on the ballot.

      (3) Whenever a public question shall appear on the ballot to be voted upon by the voters of an election district and application has been made by the proponents or opponents of such public question for the appointment of challengers, the county board may in its discretion appoint two challengers each to represent such proponents or opponents at each early voting site.

      The amendments further provide that not more than the challengers authorized pursuant to (1) through (3) above would be permitted to be present at any one time in any early voting site while serving and exercising the powers of a challenger and during the hours when the polls are open for early voting.

      The amendments also require each voter to sign the electronic poll book, except that each voter would be required to sign the backup paper poll book only if the electronic poll book ceases to operate.