Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to improve transparency and accountability in the election process by requiring the livestreaming of ballot board activities. It seeks to ensure that the public can observe the handling and processing of absentee ballots.

Main Provisions

• Livestreaming Requirement: County auditors, municipal clerks, or school district clerks must livestream ballot board activities. This applies during the absentee voting period, on election day, and the day after election day if absentee ballots are still being processed.

• Activities to be Livestreamed: Key activities that must be recorded include examining envelopes, accepting or rejecting them, opening envelopes, duplicating, and counting absentee ballots.

• Camera Positioning: Cameras must be strategically placed to cover ballot board members performing activities, all ballots present, and room entrances. Care should be taken to minimize the capture of private data from ballot envelopes and documents.

• Commissioner of Information Technology Services Role: The commissioner is tasked with providing the necessary livestreaming services and handling the retention of recorded data.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• This bill introduces a new requirement for the continuous recording and broadcasting of ballot handling activities, adding a layer of public scrutiny to the election process, which was not previously mandated.

Relevant Terms

livestreaming, election transparency, absentee ballots, ballot processing, public scrutiny, data retention