On February 7, 2012, Rep. Carole Murray and Sen. Rollie Heath introduced HB 12-1292 – Concerning Technical Modifications of Laws Relating to the Administration of Elections and, In Connection Therewith, Harmonizing Current Laws with Federal Law, Altering the Time Periods Within Which Certain Actions Must Be Taken, Raising Certain Fees, and Deleting Obsolete References. This summary is published here courtesy of the Colorado Bar Association’s e-Legislative Report.
The bill makes various technical and nonsubstantive changes to elections laws. Current law is amended to alter or clarify elections-related deadlines , update procedures in light of modern elections practices or technology correct, streamlining the, or harmonize laws, repeal redundant provisions, and recognize the existence of more than 2 major political parties; Further:
- The bill adds tribal identification to the list of acceptable elector identification.
- When an elector has provided both an address of record and a deliverable mailing address, the bill requires a county clerk and recorder to use the latter for elections-related communication.
- The bill makes gender an optional response for a person registering to vote.
- In addition to making an in-person request to submit a change of address, the bill allows an elector to mail such request and aligns the time within which such request must be executed with the deadlines for submitting a mail-in ballot request.
- Current law is silent as to the ability of a county clerk and recorder to cancel a voter registration application after an applicant has been apprised that his or her application is incomplete. The bill allows county clerk and recorders to cancel such deficient applications after 2 years.
- The bill raises from $500 to $1,000 the fees to file as an unaffiliated candidate for president or vice president of the United States or congress.
- The bill expand a candidate’s permissible use of a nickname on a ballot from primary elections to all elections, if he or she regularly uses the nickname and if it does not contain any words of the name of a major political party.
- Currently, only county clerk and recorders may designate student election judges. The bill broadens this provision to allow any designated election official to use student election judges.
- In order to make state law consistent with federal law, the bill allows any person to assist voters who need assistance.
- Under the bill, an eligible elector may request his or her ballot in-person after the ballot has been printed but prior to it being mailed.
The bill allows an elector to obtain a mail ballot by making an in-person request after it has been printed but before it is mailed. The bill passed out of the House on March 21; it is now assigned to the State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee.
Summaries of other featured bills can be found here.
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