LISA CAMPBELL - HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - STANDING COMMITTEES Representative, District 35 COVERDELL LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight

The proposed amendment requires the creation and use of an “absentee ballot form” that collects the name of the absentee voter, the name of the person delivering the ballot, the relation to the voter, the signature of the person delivering the ballot, and the type of ID of the person delivering the ballot. [...] The Proposed Rule would amend SEB Rule 183-1-12-.02, Definitions, to add the following definition of “‘Certify the results of a primary, election, or runoff,’ or words to that effect” to mean: to attest, after reasonable inquiry that the tabulation and canvassing of the election are complete and accurate and that the results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in that election. [...] The Synopsis of the Proposed Rule states that “[t]he purpose of the rule is to explicitly define certification, and to establish clear, standardized criteria for officially confirming the results of an election,” and claims that “[t]he main features of the amendments to this rule are that it adopts the U. [...] 4 In this light, the intent and likely outcome of the Proposed Rule, if enacted, would be the Orwellian opposite of “promot[ing] public understanding and confidence in the election process and results,” as the proponents claim. [...] Proposed rule 183-1-12-.02 defines “Certify the results of a primary, election, or runoff,” to mean “to attest, after reasonable inquiry that the tabulation and canvassing of the election are complete and accurate and that the results are a true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in that election.”1 In short, the rule adds an undefined “reasonable inquiry” requirement into the certification.