Assembly Bill 330 aims to enhance the enforcement of the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) by amending existing statutes and creating new provisions regarding the handling of complaints against the Elections Commission. The bill mandates that if the commission receives a complaint alleging its own violation of HAVA, it must make a final determination on the merits of the complaint and cannot dismiss it solely based on the nature of the allegation. Additionally, the bill stipulates that hearings must be held in open session, with proceedings recorded and made available for public inspection. The commission is also required to acknowledge receipt of complaints within five business days and to conduct hearings within 30 days if requested.

Furthermore, the bill introduces several procedural changes to ensure compliance with HAVA. It requires the commission to investigate complaints uniformly and nondiscriminatorily, and if a complaint is found to have merit, the commission must take corrective action. Complainants have the right to appeal any dismissals or unfavorable decisions to a court. The commission is also tasked with publishing the results of all dismissed complaints on its website and reporting these results to the legislature and relevant committees.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 5.061(3), 5.061