Amendment ID: S2545-15-R1

Redraft Amendment 15

Manageable early in-person voting requirements for small towns

Ms. Comerford, Ms. Rausch, Ms. Gobi, Messrs. O'Connor, Timilty and Feeney move that the proposed new draft be amended move that the proposed new draft be amended in section 11, in proposed paragraph (2) of subsection (b) of section 25B of chapter 54, by striking out the second paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following 2 paragraphs:-

“Early voting weekend hours shall be conducted as follows: (i) for municipalities with less than 5,000 registered voters, for not less than 4 hours each weekend, with at least 1 day per weekend, for not less than 2 hours on a weekend day in which voting is conducted; (ii) for municipalities with not less than 5,000 registered voters but less than 25,000 registered voters, for not less than 6 hours each weekend, with at least 1 day per weekend, for not less than 3 hours on a weekend day in which voting is conducted; (iii) for municipalities with not less than 25,000 registered voters but less than 40,000 registered voters, for not less than 4 hours each weekend day; (iv) for municipalities with not less than 40,000 registered voters but less than 75,000 registered voters, for not less than 6 hours each weekend day; and (v) for municipalities with not less than 75,000 registered voters, for not less than 8 hours each weekend day.

For each other day during the early voting period, early voting shall be conducted as follows: (i) for municipalities with less than 5,000 registered voters the city council of a city or board of selectman or select board of a town may, at a public meeting held not less than 20 days before the first day of the early voting period, vote to provide early voting hours of not less than 25 per cent of the usual business hours of the town clerk; (ii) for municipalities with more than 5,000 registered voters but less than 40,000 registered voters: (A) for the fifteenth day to the eleventh day, inclusive, preceding a biennial state election, the city council of a city or board of selectman or select board of a town may, at a public meeting held not less than 20 days before the first day of the early voting period, vote to provide early voting hours of not less than 50 per cent of the usual business hours of the city or town clerk; and (B) for the eighth day to the fourth day, inclusive, during the usual business hours of each city or town clerk; and (iii) for municipalities with more than 40,000 registered voters, during the usual business hours of the city or town clerk. A city or town may provide for additional early voting hours beyond the hours required by this paragraph.”.