House Bill 6823 (sHB6823 File No. 781), as amended by House Amendment "A," introduces several changes to the election laws. It designates the Secretary of the State as the official responsible for certifying presidential electors and transmitting the certification to the Archivist of the United States, in line with the federal Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022. The bill changes the meeting date for presidential electors to the Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December and allows for the filling of vacancies in the electoral college by the electors present. It also permits complaints about election rulings or vote counts to be brought to any judge of the Supreme Court, with a certification of the complaint sent to the State Elections Enforcement Commission. Additionally, the bill allows for nominations to fill vacancies due to death, withdrawal, or disqualification of a candidate, with specific deadlines for certification of replacements and provisions for reprinting ballots or using stickers to update or obscure candidate information. The bill also allows municipalities to decide if municipal elections will be held in May or November of odd-numbered years and extends the terms of incumbent elected officials accordingly.

The bill has no fiscal impact on the state or municipalities and includes technical and conforming changes. The effective date is upon passage, with specific provisions effective on January 1, 2024, for obscuring candidate vacancies and July 1, 2023, for the transition period of elected municipal officials. The Government Administration and Elections Committee favorably reported the bill unanimously. House Amendment "A" adds provisions regarding the obscuring of vacant candidacies on ballots and the transition period for elected municipal officials impacted by changes to municipal election dates.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 9-315, 9-176, 9-323
GAE Joint Favorable: 9-315, 9-176, 9-323
File No. 636: 9-315, 9-176, 9-323
File No. 781: 9-315, 9-176, 9-323, 9-460, 9-472