Substitute House Bill No. 5498, known as Public Act No. 24-148, makes comprehensive changes to election administration laws, focusing on absentee ballots, election security, and transparency. The bill redefines "mailed" in the context of absentee ballots to include sending by recognized services or depositing in a secure drop box, and requires municipalities to provide video recording devices for each secure drop box by July 1, 2025. Recordings must be publicly available within five days after the last retrieval and retained for twelve months. The bill mandates municipal clerks to record the method of receipt on absentee ballot envelopes and submit a report detailing the total count of absentee ballots returned by method. It also modifies the process for absentee ballot applicants applying for an additional ballot, specifies reasons for the rejection of absentee voting sets, and includes provisions for the retention of records by municipal clerks.

The bill criminalizes influencing or attempting to influence electors or election workers by force, threat, bribery, or deceitful methods, and makes it a felony to announce false election results. It updates procedures for absentee ballots, including the requirement for the Secretary of the State to prescribe and furnish materials for absentee voting, and sets forth rules for the distribution and use of absentee ballot applications. The bill also allows the Secretary of the State to share voter registration data with other states or federal agencies, with confidentiality provisions in place. Additionally, it revises regulations around polling places and early voting locations, prohibiting solicitation and electioneering within a 75-foot radius, and mandates that town clerks use the state-wide centralized voter registration system for all provisions under the title starting from July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 9-153b, 9-364a, 9-50c, 9-50d, 9-453e, 9-453j, 9-453o, 9-410, 9-140e, 9-472, 9-453u, 9-324, 9-325, 9-328, 9-329a
GAE Joint Favorable Substitute: 9-153b, 9-364, 9-364a, 9-50c, 9-50d, 9-453e, 9-453j, 9-453o, 9-410, 9-140e, 9-472
File No. 491: 9-153b, 9-364, 9-364a, 9-50c, 9-50d, 9-453e, 9-453j, 9-453o, 9-410, 9-140e, 9-472
JUD Joint Favorable: 9-153b, 9-364, 9-364a, 9-50c, 9-50d, 9-453e, 9-453j, 9-453o, 9-410, 9-140e, 9-472
Public Act No. 24-148: 9-153b, 9-153c, 9-150c, 9-364, 9-364a, 9-50c, 9-140e, 9-472, 1-217