Bill > S0396

Introduced Session

An act relating to elections; amending s. 97.021, F.S.; defining the term “other election system”; amending s. 101.015, F.S.; requiring the Department of State to adopt rules relating to the security of certain voting procedures; requiring the department to create a certain manual; requiring the department to adopt by rule certain minimum security standards; requiring county canvassing boards to enforce such standards; requiring county canvassing board manuals to include specified information; requiring county canvassing boards to reconcile certain ballots and forms; requiring the department to develop and adopt certain rules for the physical security of election materials and technology, absentee vote process reporting and observation, and manual cross-checks for certain systems; amending s. 101.131, F.S.; authorizing political action committees and political committees to have poll watchers in polling rooms and early voting areas; revising the date before which poll watchers must be designated; revising the information that must be on a poll watcher’s identification badge; prohibiting a poll watcher from wearing another poll watcher’s identification badge; creating s. 101.132, F.S.; authorizing certain persons to designate watchers for absentee vote processing locations; providing requirements for absentee vote processing location work areas and the number of watchers who may observe in each area; providing requirements for such watchers; requiring the Department of State to establish a certain telephone hotline; requiring the department to adopt by rule a certain manual; requiring the department to prescribe certain forms; requiring a supervisor of elections to accept certain forms; requiring a supervisor of elections to furnish a specified list to county canvassing boards; prohibiting certain persons from being designated as watchers; authorizing watchers to enter into specified areas and watch operations in compliance with certain safety recommendations; providing requirements for watcher identification badges; amending s. 101.21, F.S.; requiring a supervisor of elections to determine the actual number of voter certificate envelopes to be printed for each election; providing requirements for printed ballots and voter certificate envelopes; requiring a supervisor of elections to complete a certain report; requiring the county canvassing boards to complete and reconcile the review and approve such report before an election is certified; amending s. 101.545, F.S.; requiring a supervisor of elections to retain envelopes, seals, and video recordings for a certain period; authorizing the destruction of certain election materials after a certain audit is completed and published on the supervisor’s website; amending s. 101.5614, F.S.; requiring certain information to be entered on certain forms; requiring precinct poll workers to conduct certain hand-counted audits; providing requirements and procedures for such audits; providing that certain results may be provided to county canvassing boards for a specified purpose; prohibiting a tabulator from using networking communication hardware; authorizing a supervisor of elections to collect certain data in a certain manner; requiring certain ballots to be duplicated in the presence of certain watchers; authorizing a duplicate to be made by hand duplication; authorizing certain persons to observe the duplication of ballots; requiring a county canvassing board to convene in the presence of certain parties for certain discussions before certification of the election; making technical changes; conforming a cross-reference; amending s. 101.595, F.S.; requiring that a certain audit be conducted after each election; providing requirements for the audit; requiring the department to adopt rules; amending s. 101.6103, F.S.; requiring a supervisor of elections to mail ballots with certain envelopes; requiring a supervisor of elections to use separate postal service billing permits for certain purposes; revising actions an elector must take upon receipt of his or her ballot; revising information to be included on the voter’s certificate; requiring an elector who requests a replacement ballot to provide certain identification; requiring a supervisor of elections to verify signatures on certain sworn statements; revising the circumstances in which such a ballot is counted; requiring a supervisor of elections to keep such ballots stored in an area secured in a specified manner; requiring that the canvassing of mail ballots be open for public observation; amending s. 101.6104, F.S.; requiring a ballot to be treated in a certain manner upon county canvassing board receipt of a challenge of a voter certificate envelope or cure affidavit signature; amending s. 101.62, F.S.; requiring a person requesting a vote-by-mail ballot to provide and attest to an allowed reason for such request; providing such allowed reasons; requiring voters to provide certain information in certain written requests for vote-by-mail ballots; deleting provisions related to absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters; requiring a supervisor of elections to record certain information for each vote by-mail ballot request; revising a statement that must be marked on certain envelopes; amending s. 101.64, F.S.; revising the specified envelopes that a supervisor of elections must enclose with a vote-by mail ballot; revising the voter’s certificate that accompanies vote-by-mail ballots; amending s. 101.65, F.S.; revising the instructions that a supervisor of elections must enclose with a vote-by-mail ballot; amending s. 101.655, F.S.; requiring a supervisor of elections to provide bipartisan supervised voting for certain absent electors at the request of certain persons; providing requirements for the transportation and chain of custody for ballots delivered to and completed by certain absent voters; requiring a supervised voting team to verify an elector’s identity in a certain manner; amending s. 101.68, F.S.; requiring a supervisor of elections to verify a certificate signature, a voter certificate envelope, and ballot material in a specified manner; requiring a supervisor of elections to evaluate certain photo identification in a certain manner; requiring a county canvassing board to complete the canvass of certain ballots within a certain timeframe; requiring a county canvassing board to make certain ballot comparisons according to specified records and reports; specifying that certain identification is considered ballot material and must be presented to certain persons; providing that certain envelopes are considered illegal; requiring that logs of certain information be kept; requiring that certain materials be preserved in a specified manner and reviewed for certain purposes; requiring a supervisor of elections to provide direct links to his or her website in certain circumstances; revising the vote-by-mail cure affidavit; authorizing certain persons to inspect certain materials; requiring the review of certain materials in certain circumstances; requiring a supervisor of elections to provide certain persons with certain access to certain ballot materials; prohibiting a supervisor of elections from limiting the time available to certain persons to complete a cure affidavit review during certain periods; providing that a ballot for which a cure affidavit protest is rejected shall be counted; requiring county canvassing board minutes to contain certain information; requiring a supervisor of elections to research certain electors to determine their voter eligibility; providing that certain information must be made available to certain persons; amending s. 101.69, F.S.; revising the process for marking certain returned ballots as canceled; requiring that certain materials be submitted to the Office of Election Crimes and Security for investigation; revising locations at which secure ballot intake stations may be placed; requiring certain daily inspection of secure ballot intake stations during early voting; providing a civil penalty for supervisors of elections for deploying secure ballot intake stations that do not meet certain standards; amending s. 101.6921, F.S.; revising the specified envelopes that a supervisor of elections must enclose with a vote-by-mail ballot; revising the voter’s certificate; amending s. 101.6923, F.S.; revising the instructions that a supervisor of elections must enclose with certain vote-by-mail ballots; amending s. 102.012, F.S.; requiring a supervisor of elections to recruit absentee vote processing workers; requiring such workers to subscribe to an oath or affirmation and meet certain qualifications; amending s. 102.014, F.S.; requiring a supervisor of elections to conduct required training for absentee vote processing workers; requiring the department to develop a certain uniform training curriculum for use by supervisors of elections; requiring such workers to demonstrate a working knowledge of certain laws and procedures; requiring a supervisor of elections to appoint a replacement for such a worker in certain circumstances; prohibiting an absentee vote processing worker from working in a work area unless he or she completes certain minimum training requirements; revising the contents of the polling place procedures manual; requiring the department to create and adopt by rule an absentee vote processing procedures manual; providing requirements for such manual; requiring the department to revise the manual as necessary; amending s. 102.141, F.S.; revising the composition of county canvassing boards; authorizing a supervisor of elections to appoint a municipal official as a substitute member of the county canvassing board; requiring a specified quorum of the county canvassing board for certain proceedings; requiring real-time video monitoring of county canvassing board meetings; requiring meeting minutes to be published on the supervisor of elections’ website; requiring the county canvassing board to review certain reports each day and take certain actions; requiring the county canvassing board to review certain information before certifying an election; requiring the county canvassing board to address certain discrepancies in a certain manner; requiring a special election in certain circumstances; authorizing the removal from office of the supervisor of elections in certain circumstances; requiring a manual recount to use original paper ballots and voter certificate envelopes in certain circumstances; revising requirements for a county canvassing board conducting a recount; amending s. 102.166, F.S.; authorizing a candidate to request a manual recount of certain votes after a first set of unofficial returns in certain circumstances; revising the percentage of votes by which a candidate is defeated upon which a manual recount of certain votes is required; providing requirements for such recounts; authorizing certain governmental entities to request a manual recount in certain circumstances; requiring a certain audit to be conducted upon delivery of a certain petition; providing requirements for such audit; requiring a manual audit in certain races for which a specified discrepancy exists; conforming a cross-reference; amending s. 104.21, F.S.; providing that an election worker who changes certain envelope information or markings commits a misdemeanor; providing criminal penalties; creating s. 104.291, F.S.; providing that a poll worker who wears the poll worker identification badge of another person commits a misdemeanor; providing criminal penalties; amending s. 104.30, F.S.; providing that a person who prints certain ballots or voter certificate envelopes without authorization commits a felony; providing criminal penalties; providing an effective date.

Ileana Garcia (R)*, 

Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration (on 05/03/2025)

Official Document