HB 5623 — Relating to absentee voting

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION IntroducedCommittee FISCALSubstitute for House Bill 5623 NOTE By Delegates W.

Hall, Shamblin, Rohrbach, DeVault, Stephens, Ferrell, Hite, Green, Steele, and Forsht [Introduced[Originating Februaryin 12,the 2024;Committee on the Judiciary;

ReferredReported toon theFebruary Committee23, on2024] theCS Judiciary]for Intr HB 2024R38235623 A BILL to amend and reenact §3-3-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to codifying existing policy of the Secretary of State regarding the verification of absentee ballots.ballots;

requiring the creation of an electronic absentee by mail ballot tracking system;

and requiring certain content to be provided on the electronic absentee by mail ballot tracking system.

1 CS for HB 5623 (2) The size and form of absent voter's ballot envelope nos.

1 and the Intr HB 2024R3823 forms and information which are to be placed on absent voter's ballot envelope no.

(d) The Secretary of State shall establish, acquire, or approve an earlyabsentee by mail ballot verificationtracking system that indicates whether the voter's early ballot has been received and whether the early ballot has been verified and sent to be tabulated or rejected.

For each elector who votes by absent voter ballot at an election, the electronic security system described in subsectionthis (d)subsection must indicate all of the following:

(A) A brief statestatement of the reason for the rejection.

2 CS for HB 5623 (C) If the issue with the elector's absent voter ballot application is cured by the elector and the absent voter ballot application is accepted by the officials designated to supervise and conduct absentee voting, an update that the elector's absent voter ballot application was accepted and the date of the acceptance.

Intr HB 2024R3823 (3) The date the officials designated to supervise and conduct absentee voting mailed or delivered the absent voter ballot to the elector, or for an absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter under §3-3-1(b)(3) of this code, the date the absent uniformed services voter's or overseas voter's official designated to supervise and conduct absentee voting mailed or electronically transmitted the absent voter ballot to the absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter.

NOTE:

The purpose of this bill is to codify existing policy of the Secretary of State regarding the verification of absentee ballots.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.