Votes at a glance: Privileges and Elections Committee advances multiple election-related bills

The Privileges and Elections Committee on Feb. 14 reported multiple election-related bills to the next stage of the legislative process after committee consideration and roll-call votes.

Key committee actions and outcomes (motions moved and seconded in committee, with roll-call tallies recorded):

- Senate Bill 1002: Reported (committee vote recorded as 17-0). The chair said SB 1002 is identical to a previously heard House measure; the committee voted to report the Senate bill.

- Senate Bill 775: Committee adopted a substitute to conform the Senate bill to a Delegate Sickles's bill on artificial audio/visual materials in political advertising and reported the bill as substituted (committee vote recorded as 12-6).

- Senate Bill 940: Subcommittee recommended reporting with amendments; the committee adopted the amendment and reported SB 940 with amendments (committee vote recorded as 17-1). Counsel explained the amendment sets timing for courts to decide eligibility challenges no later than the date ballots are made available for absentee voting and includes a 10-day decision timing for certain filings.

- Senate Bill 1174: Reported (committee vote recorded as 18-0). The bill adds "referendum" to the materials prohibited from distribution within certain voting or registration areas, per the subcommittee report.

- Senate Bill 760: The bill moves the deadline for receipt of absentee ballots and related information from noon to 5 p.m. on the third day after the election; the committee reported SB 760 on a vote of 10-9.

- Senate Bill 814: Allows local governing bodies subject to a court-ordered remedial election system under voting-rights laws to convert one or more at-large districts to single-member districts; reported on a vote of 10-9.

- Senate Bill 1009: The committee rejected an initial amendment and then adopted a substitute that the chair said aligns the bill with prior legislation; the committee reported SB 1009 with substitute on a vote of 12-9.

- Senate Bill 1044: The committee considered and rejected a constitutional-secrecy amendment and then reported the introduced version of SB 1044 on a vote of 21-0; counsel had described amendment language concerning ballot secrecy and aggregation of precincts for reporting.

Committee members said the bills were considered in a mix of full committee and subcommittee reviews; several bills (for example, SB 940 and SB 760) were discussed in more detail at the Election Administration Subcommittee before the full committee votes.

Committee leadership also announced they expect a quick called meeting next week to handle a remaining governor's appointment and encouraged members to watch for scheduling notices.

The committee recorded roll-call tallies for the votes listed above and reported each bill out of committee as noted.