Transcript Highlights:

• In the days that follow, counties are responsible for the post-election canvassing process to certify
• process to certify the canvasing process to certify the election<00:32:29.440> and<00:32:29.559
• Minnesota law also outlines a process for resolving election disputes through the contest process.
• c> disputes process for resolving election disputes process for resolving election disputes through
• election through the contest process election through the contest process election contests<00:57

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Minnesota House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee met to begin its session with member and staff introductions, then heard an overview from Secretary of State Steve Simon and elections director Paul Linnell on the state’s elections administration and budget needs. Simon said the office’s committee-jurisdiction budget request was for the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) election security grant match: Minnesota received about $1 million in federal funds in 2024 and needs a $200,000 state match to unlock the money for election security navigator work. He also previewed the office’s broader presentation on the 2024 election, outreach efforts, and election security. Simon described the 2024 election cycle as successful, saying his administrative goals were high turnout and low drama. He reported that Minnesota had very high turnout in the November election, with more than 3.27 million ballots cast and about 76.4% turnout, and noted that more than 1.3 million voters cast ballots before Election Day. He also highlighted outreach and accessibility efforts, including the Students Voting Program, Youth Day at the Capitol, National Voter Registration Day activities, expanded online voter tools in additional languages, and work to inform eligible Minnesotans about the Restore the Vote law for people leaving prison. He emphasized that elections are a team effort carried out largely by counties, cities, townships, and election judges. Linnell then explained the state’s election administration structure and responsibilities, including the Statewide Voter Registration System, candidate filing and election reporting systems, voting equipment certification, and post-election performance reviews. He said counties are central to voter registration updates and ballot preparation, and noted that in 2024 there were a handful of counties with ballot errors that required court action, with a vendor process change identified as a contributing factor. Committee members asked for more detail on the number and identity of the affected counties. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the portion of the meeting reflected in the transcript.

Transcript Highlights:

• security, prevent voter fraud. tighten our election processes, and recruit and train election workers
• Each of these groups play a vital role in the election process.
• election process.
• challenges when it comes to the election process.
• Multiple county election officials pulled together to make sure the election process... was not only

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So really creating redundancies and ensuring that our processes are executed and that on election day
• We have a vetting process for the people who are going to be transporting these ballots and election
• We have a vetting process for the people who are going to be transporting these ballots and election
• Between the petition gathering process and running an election, if you're not able to combine it with
• The petition process is not that much, depending on what the... if you mirror the municipal election

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from several county supervisors of elections and the Florida Supervisors of Elections Association on the 2024 election cycle and priorities for the 2025 session. They described very high turnout in the presidential election, major operational planning needs, and the heavy reliance on seasonal workers, list maintenance, ballot-on-demand systems, and secure chain-of-custody procedures. They also discussed the impact of recent legislative changes on voter-roll maintenance, including inactive voter removal, and said Florida’s election administration has improved to what they called a “platinum standard.” The supervisors outlined several legislative requests: allowing more than one non-government “wild card” early voting site to improve access and emergency flexibility; requiring newly naturalized citizens to update driver’s license information so voter records match DHSMV data; exempting home addresses of certain election workers and ballot transporters from public records to improve safety and recruitment; restoring a checkbox on vote-by-mail return envelopes so voters can stay on the vote-by-mail list for the next cycle; aligning base salaries for supervisors, property appraisers, and clerks with other constitutional officers; and reducing ballot length by removing precinct committee races from the ballot. They also said they expect a committee bill to carry some of these proposals. Members questioned the panel about ballot transport security, signature verification, vote-by-mail expiration, public records transparency, and the petition process for constitutional amendments. The supervisors said ballots are transported under detailed county plans with tamper-evident seals, chain-of-custody logs, trained workers, and in some cases two-person transport teams. On petitions, they said the process is labor-intensive and expensive, that fraud has occurred in some cases, and that they favor reforms such as requiring more personal identifying information and having initiative sponsors mail petitions to voters rather than making supervisors handle the mailing. They also said signature mismatches can be cured within 72 hours after Election Day and that voters are notified when possible. After the supervisors’ presentation, the committee also heard brief public testimony from Kathleen Griffiths, who urged adoption of commercial-style risk management standards in election systems and referenced several election-related bills her group supports.

Transcript Highlights:

• Counties are responsible for the post-election canvassing process to certify the election and complete
• process to post-election canvasing process to certify<00:26:43.760> the<00:26:43.880> election
• Minnesota law also outlines a process for resolving election disputes through the contest process.
• c> disputes process for resolving election disputes process for resolving election disputes through
• election through the contest process election through the contest process election contests<00:49

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• before an election and on election election election day<00:03:02.239> section<00:03:03.120><
• election it applies during that election election it applies during that election um<00:07:57.919
• We also strongly support a more effective process for appointing party-affiliated election judges.
• We also strongly support a more effective process for appointing party-affiliated election judges.
• for prior to the entire voting process for prior to election<00:30:35.519> day<00:30:35.720><

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill fixes an audit process that we have in our elections.
• So you followed elections, the election process? Yes, sir. I'm a voting rights attorney.
• This bill would weaken due process for election officials and offices.
• This bill would weaken due process for election officials and offices.
• If it's coming up in the middle of an election process, and an election is ongoing, we're picking up

Summary: The committee heard House Bill 3709, which would change the partial manual audit process so early voting could be audited by voting location rather than by randomly selected precincts. The author and several supporters said the current precinct-based process is antiquated, labor-intensive, and especially difficult in countywide voting systems and large counties. Opponents and some neutral witnesses raised concerns about whether the change would still allow an apples-to-apples audit against official precinct results, whether random selection procedures should be more clearly defined, and how ballot secrecy and mail ballots would be handled. The Secretary of State’s office said counties already use random selection methods and that the bill would largely standardize early voting audits with election-day procedures, while also noting ballot privacy issues can arise in public records requests. After testimony, the bill was left pending. The committee then took up House Bill 766, as substituted, which would require precinct chair applicants to provide an email address, phone number, or both, while making that contact information confidential. Supporters said the change would help parties and local officials contact applicants more efficiently. Opponents argued it could expose personal contact information to public records requests and harassment, and some suggested the information should instead be handled through party rules. The bill was left pending after the committee substitute was withdrawn. House Bill 3775 followed and would set clearer timelines for when early voting ballot boards may begin opening carrier envelopes, with different start times based on county size. Supporters said the bill would address counties opening ballots too early and improve ballot security, while opponents warned it could delay defect notices and cure opportunities for mail voters and create problems in large counties that process high volumes of ballots. Testimony also focused on whether the bill referred to carrier envelopes or secrecy envelopes and on how counties like Harris County currently image and secure ballot materials. The bill was left pending. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 4275, which would require countywide polling systems to have polling places in each election precinct, intended to address uneven distribution of polling locations across county commissioner precincts. Supporters said the bill would make polling place distribution fairer and more consistent, especially in Harris County, while opponents said it would undermine countywide voting, increase costs, require more equipment and staff, and reduce local flexibility. Several witnesses also raised concerns about ballot secrecy and the practical burden on large and rural counties. The bill remained under discussion as testimony continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• So basically, it’s the same process that you have on election day, exactly.
• This adds an additional day for an overly burdensome county elections process.
• Warranted or not, the public trust and faith in our election process is very low.
• AB 16 aims to clarify and clean up authority already granted to election officials in processing and
• And they also have very, you know, you can mail in ballots on Election Day, very similar processes.

Summary: The committee heard a long agenda of elections-related bills. It first approved three consent items: AB 808, AB 1029, and AB 1072. The committee then took up AB 1249, which would require non-Voter’s Choice Act counties to offer at least one Saturday early-voting location before statewide elections and allow in-person return of vote-by-mail ballots at designated county offices or satellite locations. Supporters said it would expand access for working voters and those with transportation barriers; some members raised concerns about ballot verification and added workload for rural counties. The bill passed the committee on a divided vote and was placed on call for absent members. The committee next considered AB 25, a voter ID and election integrity measure that would require citizenship verification, government ID for voting, tighter voter-roll audits, and a 72-hour ballot-counting deadline. The author and supporters argued it would restore public trust and improve election integrity, while opponents from the League of Women Voters, ACLU California Action, labor groups, disability advocates, and others said it would restrict access, burden vulnerable voters, and amount to voter suppression. After extensive debate, the committee voted the bill out on a narrow split and kept it on call. Members also approved AB 1164, which clarifies when voters are entitled to a replacement ballot and updates the Voter Bill of Rights language; AB 1441, which would create an independent citizens redistricting commission in Merced County despite opposition from the county board over cost and local control; and AB 16, which would clarify county election officials’ authority to begin processing vote-by-mail ballots earlier and clean up outdated code. The committee also heard AB 1411, which would require non-VCA counties to prepare voter education and outreach plans and use a Secretary of State template, with the sponsor saying it would improve voter information statewide.

Transcript Highlights:

• process over the years, and over the years trust has consistently grown in our election process.
• Um, but when you poll the voters generally, you see that in general, uh, folks trust our election process
• Huge process. So how many people actually voted, uh, in the last election on the same day?
• It's a 2 general election cycle process of, of not voting, not updating, etc. etc.
• You know, the process was undertaken and and you know we have a collective of election expertise that

Transcript Highlights:

• So really creating redundancies and ensuring that our processes are executed and that on election day
• So we have to election workers of opposing party that drive the election materials back on election night
• on what we think's works and what would cause hiccups in the process and how we operate these elections
• election.
• You know, you the petition process is not that much depending on what the if you mere the municipal election

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• post-election audit process.
• process of that election happened in the process of that election that<01:43:04.480> should<01
• So how long would this process take? Would it delay an election, the results of an election?
• responsibilities with the election responsibilities with the election process. process. process.
• <02:23:26.240> process<02:23:26.880> have people involved in election process have

Keywords: 1136, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to visit our website at the process to visit our website at www.<00:38:07.839> elect.
• confidence in, given that unbiased postelection processes demonstrated the integrity of our elections
• :38.839> first election this election marked the first election this election marked the first
• in a ballot on demand polling process in a ballot on demand polling locations<00:51:15.640> election
• So we want to ban foreign participation in our election process, as we all know, as having been candidates

Keywords: Consideration of HB 27 00:04:20 Presentation by Secretary of State 00:10:44 Presentation by Karen Sellers and Jason Denny 00:35:56 Consideration of HB 45 00:55:36, 958, all

Summary: The committee first handled House Bill 27, which would remove the prohibition on political yard signs in planned communities statewide while still allowing communities to regulate size, placement, and duration. The sponsor said the 2023 Planned Communities Act created an unintended consequence by treating similar homeowners differently based on grandfathering dates, and a legal explanation was offered that the bill would clarify the law and avoid constitutional problems. After discussion, the committee voted 15-0 to pass the bill with favorable expression. The next item was an update from the Secretary of State on the 2024 election and implementation of House Bill 53, which created prompt post-election audits. He said the audits were carried out smoothly, most found no discrepancies, and no election winners changed, though he recommended adding a specific timeline to the law. He also discussed voter-roll maintenance, saying Kentucky has removed more than 440,000 ineligible voters since 2020, and argued that federal law and limited access to federal databases remain the main obstacles to faster cleanup. Members asked about the possibility of improper removals, double voting across states, and how provisional voting works. The Secretary said anyone improperly removed can reregister, that any double-voting abuse is likely marginal but still unacceptable, and that provisional ballots are available when eligibility is in doubt and can be reviewed by the county board of elections. He also urged Congress to modernize the 1993 federal voter-registration law, improve access to death and citizenship data, and create a central interstate information-sharing system for election officials.

Transcript Highlights:

• At the end of the processing on election night, when and where the 2nd and 3rd LNA test will be conducted
• I would love to see sort of the same process that appoints election administrators perhaps, representing
• That they have to wait until a week after the election before they can begin processing all their ballots
• In Georgia, we didn't have that problem because our post-election audit process caught it.
• Making the voting process more difficult for both voters and election officials.

Transcript Highlights:

• Having received a majority vote of those elected to and constituting the House, I declare the bill to
• I declare the vote. 91, two nay, having received a majority vote of those elected to and constituting
• Having received a majority vote of those elected to and constituting the House, I declare the bill to
• Lawson Heffner, i Declare the vote. 84 to 9 nay, having received a majority vote of those elected to
• Having received a majority vote of those elected to and constituting the House, I declare the bill to

Bills: HB4358, HB2398, HB3557, HB3129, HB3312, HB2210, HB1937, HB3021, HB4246, HB4230, HB3617, HB3657, HB2976, HB3391, HB4459, HB4128, HB3989, HB2989, HB4060, HB3145, HB2992, HB3464, HB3552, HB2984, HB4124, HB3934, HB3448, HB3131, HB4200, HB4201, HB3011, HB1912, HB3380, HB3881, HB3538, HB3851, HB3907, HB4430, HB4431, HB4457, HB2947, HB2951, HB2980, HB3082, HB3519, HB3644, HB3882, HB3661, HB3996, HB4335

Keywords: screen time, education, public schools, child development, digital learning, youth health, academic performance, credential of value, workforce development, labor market, government reporting, Oklahoma Agricultural Extension, local funding, financial institutions, county extension services, state funds, free expression, colleges, security fees, public forums

Transcript Highlights:

• process, and we're all looking for safe, secure, and accessible elections.
• <00:24:36.720> um process and uh in the process um process and uh in the process um we<00:
• worked on the process to bring them in. worked on the process to bring them in.
• Within the record, there is testimony regarding that individual's role in the election process.
• Within the record, there is testimony regarding that individual's role in the election process.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• So basically it's the same process that you have on Election Day. Exactly.
• So once again still learning this elections process but I read through because I have some major concerns
• AB 16 aims to clarify and clean up authority already granted to election officials in processing and
• and county elections officials work diligently to process as many vote-by-mail ballots before election
• I do not support false statements however California's long process processes exasperates election concerns

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The post-election audit process is an invaluable piece of our election infrastructure and helps maintain
• process and increase public confidence in the accuracy of elections.
• Our audit process actually earned our election systems a grade of D or C minus or something along those
• Currently, Massachusetts law does not provide a clear process for managing elections.
• Well, Massachusetts law does not provide a clear process for managing elections in emergency situations

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Committee on Election Laws held a hearing on election security bills, focusing first on S. 517 and H. 876, which would strengthen Massachusetts’ post-election audit process. Testimony from the Brennan Center, Common Cause Massachusetts, Verified Voting, and the League of Women Voters supported expanding audits to include all ballot types, increasing audit frequency from every four years to every two years, requiring statewide audit reports to be posted within 30 days and kept online for six years, and allowing municipalities to conduct audits under state standards. Witnesses also praised the bill’s creation of a work group to study risk-limiting audits and other improvements, emphasizing public confidence, transparency, and the ability of audits to detect errors or deter fraud. Committee members asked detailed questions about how Massachusetts compares with other states, how risk-limiting audits differ from current tabulation audits, how audits are selected and expanded if discrepancies appear, and what the costs and mechanics of different audit methods would be. Witnesses explained that current audits are typically random, hand-count-based checks of selected contests and batches of ballots, that risk-limiting audits use statistical sampling and can escalate to a full recount if needed, and that Massachusetts’ local-control structure makes a collaborative work group useful. They also noted that audits generally confirm results but can uncover errors that do not change outcomes, and occasionally more serious problems. The committee then heard testimony on H. 832, which would authorize the Secretary of the Commonwealth to take emergency actions affecting elections during declared emergencies. Supporters said the bill would create a clear statutory process for rescheduling or adjusting elections during severe weather or other crises, including allowing emergency absentee ballot accommodations for civilian responders, and would reduce the need for court intervention. No votes were taken on the bills during the hearing, and the meeting ended with adjournment after no additional testimony was offered.

Transcript Highlights:

• I think each of his elections under this process, he ran extraordinarily hard, and I think he's one of
• election so that's how that process election so that's how that process plays<01:01:39.480> sen
• We can't have that in our election system, and that type of process is going to be baked in if we are
• <01:14:12.199> process because the standard election process because the standard election
• in one and does combines two elections in one and does the<01:20:21.840> process<01:20:22.199

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Then I'll briefly talk through what happens after Election Day to process Election Day registrations
• the election day registration process for voters that are not yet registered or need to update their
• One is that the vouching process, which is acceptable for registering to vote on Election Day, would
• All voters who registered on Election Day are sent through the same verification process as voters who
• And then as part of that post-election data entry process, if there are any issues with the eligibility

Transcript Highlights:

• Where does this process stand?
• I think that you would have some comfort in the Board of Elections decision-making process is governed
• I think that you would have some comfort in the Board of Elections decision-making process is governed
• Elections Commissioner, is there a weighted vote, or the process for how — or does it need to be unanimous
• Elections Commissioner, is there a weighted vote, or the process for how — or does it need to be unanimous

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with routine business, including approval of the prior journal and several messages from the Assembly to discharge and substitute identical Senate bills. The chamber then took up a budget extender, Senate Print 10262/Assembly Bill 11295, which would appropriate $2.9 billion to keep state government operating through May 14 while budget negotiations continued. Senator O’Mara questioned the delay in reaching a full budget and criticized the lack of clarity on major policy issues, conference committees, school aid timing, and a proposed $1 billion utility ratepayer relief plan, arguing the state’s spending and affordability problems were worsening. Senator Serrano responded that negotiations were in the final stretch and that the extender was necessary to maintain government operations. The extender passed 59-1 after being restored to the non-controversial calendar. The Senate also considered a major election-law bill, Senate Print 88A, providing for automatic voter registration and pre-registration through DMV, Medicaid, and NYCHA-related transactions. Senator Walczyk’s proposed amendment to require voter ID was ruled nongermane, and his appeal was rejected. The bill prompted extended debate over whether the process would protect against non-citizen registration or instead remove barriers for eligible voters. Supporters, including Senator Gianaris, said it would streamline registration and help eligible but unregistered New Yorkers participate; Senator Zellner said it would strengthen the process. Opponents, including Senators Walczyk, Borrello, Helming, Rhoads, and Martins, warned it would shift responsibility away from bipartisan boards of elections, create administrative errors, and risk improper registration. The bill ultimately passed after being restored to the non-controversial calendar, with senators explaining votes along party lines. The chamber also adopted or advanced several resolutions and recognized guests. Senator Gallivan’s Police Week resolution drew remarks honoring fallen officers and law enforcement families, with Senators Chan, Rolison, Weik, Ryan, and Myrie speaking in support. Senator Sepúlveda’s resolution commemorating Dominicans in Albany was also discussed, with praise for the Dominican community’s contributions to New York and supportive remarks from Senator Chan. In addition, the Senate heard introductions for guests from Allen A.M.E. Church and the creators of the documentary “Teenage Wasteland.”

Transcript Highlights:

• of a process.
• "The primary election, the party primary election, is the election that has media focus and attention
• So we are not watching that process without competitive elections.
• look at the 1998 election, when you look at the potentially the 2002 election, the 2006 election, the
• process.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions held a public hearing on Initiative Petition 25-12, H.503, a proposal to implement all-party state primaries for Massachusetts state and federal elections. The committee opened with procedural remarks explaining Article 48 requirements and then heard first from two subject-matter experts. Professor Costas Panagopoulos of Northeastern University testified that top-two primary systems in other states have produced mixed results: they may modestly increase primary turnout in some cases, but the research does not show a reliable reduction in polarization, and such systems can weaken party gatekeeping, increase strategic behavior, raise campaign spending, and reduce general-election choice for voters whose preferred party is not on the ballot. Katie King of the National Conference of State Legislatures outlined the different primary models used nationwide, explained that Massachusetts currently uses an open-to-unaffiliated primary, and reviewed legal distinctions between blanket primaries and top-two systems; she noted that blanket primaries were struck down by the Supreme Court, while Washington’s top-two system was upheld because it narrows the field rather than nominating party candidates. She also said voter education and administrative preparation would be important if the system changed. The proponents’ panel, led by Danielle Allen of the Coalition for Healthy Democracy, argued that Massachusetts has chronically uncompetitive elections, low turnout, and too many uncontested races, and that all-party primaries would give every voter a meaningful choice in the first round and force candidates to appeal to a broader electorate. Allen said the proposal is designed specifically for Massachusetts and differs from other states by allowing party endorsements to appear on the ballot, which supporters said would preserve useful information while shifting control of the preliminary election from party insiders to voters. Jim Henderson, the coalition’s counsel, said the bill is narrowly tailored to state-level primaries and would amend Chapter 53 to put all voters on equal footing. Other supporters, including Kevin Johnson, Kate Kavanaugh, and Spencer Reynolds, emphasized that the reform could increase competition, reduce polarization, improve participation by independents and underrepresented voters, and create more accountability to the full electorate. Committee members pressed the witnesses on turnout, the practical effect of endorsements, whether the proposal would simply shift party influence to an earlier stage, and whether it could disadvantage minority-party or independent candidates. Senator Fattman repeatedly asked about evidence that turnout would materially increase, while Representative Peisch and others questioned whether requiring or seeking endorsements would create new barriers or pressure candidates to clear the field. Supporters responded that the system would modestly increase primary participation, that the general election would remain the decisive contest, and that endorsements would be optional and handled through party rules. No vote was taken at the hearing; the committee heard testimony and questions only.