Amendment ID: S2378-33

Amendment 33

Primary Pilot Program

Ms. Rausch and Ms. Chang-Diaz move to amend the bill by striking sections 47-52, inclusive, and inserting in place thereof the following sections:-

SECTION 47. Notwithstanding section 28 of chapter 53 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, the state primary in 2020 shall be held on Tuesday, June 9, 2020.

SECTION 48. Notwithstanding sections 3 and 28 of chapter 53 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, a person whose name is not printed on the June 9, 2020 state primary ballot as a candidate for an office, but who receives sufficient votes to nominate the person for the office, shall file in the office of the state secretary a written acceptance of the nomination and a receipt from the state ethics commission verifying that a statement of financial interest has been filed pursuant to chapter 268B of the General Laws not later than 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

SECTION 49. Notwithstanding sections 11, 13, 28 and 53A of chapter 53 and section 5 of chapter 55B of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, objections to and withdrawals from nominations made at the June 9, 2020 state primary shall be filed with the state secretary not later than 12:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.

SECTION 50. Notwithstanding sections 14 and 28 of chapter 53 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, any vacancies from the June 9, 2020 state primary caused by death, withdrawal or ineligibility under section 49 shall be filled by an executive committee, determined by the state party committee of the same political party that made the original nomination.

SECTION 51. Notwithstanding sections 15 and 28 of chapter 53 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, when a nomination is made to fill a vacancy caused by the death, withdrawal or ineligibility of a candidate from the June 9, 2020 state primary, the certificate of nomination shall be on a form prescribed by the state secretary, signed by the executive committee appointed by the state committee of the same political party as provided for in section 50 and filed with the state secretary not later than 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

SECTION 52. Notwithstanding section 28 of chapter 53 and section 135 of chapter 54 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, a petition for a recount of the June 9, 2020 state primary shall be filed with the appropriate local election officials not later than 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 and all recounts shall be completed and notice of the results shall be sent to the state secretary not later than 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, September 1, 2020.

Petitions for districtwide and statewide recounts of the June 9, 2020 state primary shall be submitted to the appropriate local election officials for certification not later than 12:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 16, 2020 and local election officials shall complete certification not later than 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. Thereafter, certified petitions shall be filed with the state secretary not later than 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. If the state secretary determines that the contest is eligible for a statewide or districtwide recount, the state secretary shall notify the local election officials who shall complete the recount and shall notify the state secretary of the results of the recount not later than 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, September 1, 2020.

Notwithstanding section 28 of chapter 53 and section 135 of chapter 54 of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, a board of registrars shall provide not less than two days’ notice of the date, time and location of the recount to each candidate for the office for which the recount has been petitioned. Electronic notice shall be sufficient.