SENATE DOCKET, NO. 991        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 379

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

James B. Eldridge

_________________

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 election officers.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 991        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 379

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 322 OF 2013-2014.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

An Act relative to election officers.

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. Section 11 of chapter 54 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 5-6, the words "one warden, one deputy warden, one clerk, one deputy clerk, four inspectors and four deputy inspectors" and inserting in place thereof the following words:- "a minimum of one warden, one clerk, two inspectors and a ballot box inspector".

SECTION 2. Section 12 of said chapter 54, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 4-5, the words "one warden, one deputy warden, one clerk, one deputy clerk, two inspectors and two deputy inspectors" and inserting in place thereof the following words:- "a minimum of one warden, one clerk, two inspectors and a ballot box inspector".

SECTION 3. Said chapter 54 is hereby further amended by striking out section 67, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 67. The voting list shall be delivered to the warden at the entrance to the precinct in the polling place. When a ballot is delivered to a voter, the voter’s name shall be checked on the voting list at the entrance of the precinct. The inspector in charge of the voting list and the inspector in charge of the ballot box shall be of different political parties. The ballot box inspector shall ensure that each voter casts a ballot into the ballot box before exiting the precinct. No person shall vote if that person’s name is not on the voting list, nor until the inspector shall check the person’s name thereon, unless the person presents a certificate from the registrars of the voters as provided by section 51 or section 59 of chapter 51, or unless the person is voting by provisional ballot under section 76C.

SECTION 4. Section 83 of said chapter 54 is hereby repealed.