This bill mandates that the Secretary of State provide secure containers for storing ballots to all voting precincts before state and federal elections. The new legal language specifies that these containers must be secure, durable, reusable, transportable, stackable, and marked, with locks and tamper-evident sealers. Additionally, the Secretary of State is required to implement a secure container replacement program using available funding from the Help America Vote Act of 2002, with an annual progress report detailing the number of containers replaced, their locations, and future replacement plans.

The bill also includes several deletions from the current law, such as the removal of the requirement for the Secretary of State to seal each container and the phrase "He shall prepare special containers." The fiscal impact of the bill is indeterminable, as it does not provide specific funding or authorize new positions, and the costs associated with manufacturing and distributing the containers are unknown. The Secretary of State will need to clarify the use of HAVA funds for this initiative, as no funds are currently appropriated for it.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 659:97
HB1541 text: 659:97