This bill aims to eliminate the exemption from post-election audits for counties that tabulate their votes by hand. Currently, these counties are not required to undergo the same auditing processes as those that use electronic voting systems. By removing this exemption, the bill seeks to ensure that all counties, regardless of their vote tabulation method, are subject to the same level of scrutiny and verification in the electoral process.

Additionally, the bill provides rulemaking authority to establish the necessary procedures for implementing these audits. It amends Section 13-17-503 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to reflect these changes and includes an immediate effective date, ensuring that the new requirements are put into place without delay.

Statutes affected:
SB0254_1.pdf: 13-17-503
SB0254_3.pdf: 13-17-503
Introduced: 13-17-503