HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 494        FILED ON: 1/11/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 610

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Aaron Michlewitz

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to an election laws implementation task force.

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PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Aaron Michlewitz

3rd Suffolk

 

Mark J. Cusack

5th Norfolk

1/15/2013


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 494        FILED ON: 1/11/2013

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 610

By Mr. Michlewitz of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 610) of Aaron Michlewitz and Mark J. Cusack for the establishment of a task force (including members of the General Court) relative to  election laws implementation  .  Election Laws.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

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An Act relative to an election laws implementation task force.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be established an election laws implementation task force.

(a) Said task force shall undertake a study of the implementation of An Act to Provide Audits of Elections Results as filed in the House in the 187th Session of the General Court as HB 1980. Said study shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of: (1) the state and local costs of implementing said proposal, and the availability of federal funding through the Help America Vote Act; (2) the administrative requirements for adopting such a proposal, including the impact upon poll operations and upon the operation of municipal clerks’ offices on election day; (3) the possibility of fraud; and (4) the effects upon finalizing a vote and possible recounts.  

(b) The task force shall complete its study and submit its final report in writing to the joint committee on election laws and the state secretary no later than July 31, 2014.  

(c) The task force shall consist of the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on election laws, the speaker of the house of representatives or his designee, the president of the senate or her designee, the house minority leader or his designee, the senate minority leader or his designee, the state secretary or his designee, the chairs of the house and the senate ways & means committees or their designees, the state auditor or his designee, the director of the office on disability or her designee, two (2) representatives of the Massachusetts Town Clerks’ Association, at least one (1) of whom shall be a town clerk of a town of fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, two (2) representatives of the Massachusetts City Clerks Association at least one (1) of whom shall be a clerk of a municipality of fewer than 60,000 inhabitants, and one (1) representative of each of the following groups: the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Chapter of the NAACP, Common Cause, and MassVOTE.

SECTION 2:  This act shall take effect upon passage.