School Election Reform Clears House

An elections reform bill (SF 514) cleared the House 127-5. It still needs to go back to the Senate for them to concur with what the House did to the Senate file.

The House, in coordination with the Senate, eliminated the more controversial elements of the Senate’s proposal (provisional ballots for instance) and instead go forward with a more technical bill.

For school purposes, the bill consolidates non-general election dates to five dates, but allows school districts to continue to consolidate polling places if they do so by Dec. 31 for the following year.  That provision takes effect Jan. 1, 2018.

MREA and other education organizations worked to maintain consolidated polling places. View the joint letter.

It’s not clear if the Governor will sign this version of the elections bill.