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H0208......................................................by STATE AFFAIRS
CANDIDATES - BALLOT LISTING - Amends and adds to existing law to provide
that the Secretary of State shall complete a random ordering of letters of
the alphabet to govern the order of candidates listed on the ballot.
02/13 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/14 Rpt prt - to St Aff
|||| LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ||||
Fifty-sixth Legislature First Regular Session - 2001
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE BILL NO. 208
BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
1 AN ACT
2 RELATING TO BALLOT PREPARATION; AMENDING SECTION 34-903, IDAHO CODE, TO PRO-
3 VIDE THAT CANDIDATES SHALL BE LISTED IN THE ORDER AS PROVIDED BY LAW;
4 AMENDING CHAPTER 9, TITLE 34, IDAHO CODE, BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION
5 34-903A, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL COMPLETE
6 A RANDOM ORDERING OF LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET WHICH SHALL GOVERN THE ORDER
7 OF CANDIDATES LISTED ON THE BALLOT; AND AMENDING SECTION 34-2419, IDAHO
8 CODE, TO PROVIDE THAT CANDIDATES SHALL BE LISTED IN THE ORDER AS PROVIDED
9 BY LAW.
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
11 SECTION 1. That Section 34-903, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
12 amended to read as follows:
13 34-903. SECRETARY OF STATE TO PRESCRIBE FORM AND CONTENTS OF ALL BALLOTS
14 AND RELATED DOCUMENTS. (1) The secretary of state shall, in a manner consis-
15 tent with the election laws of this state, prescribe the form for all ballots,
16 absentee ballots, diagrams, sample ballots, ballot labels, voting machine
17 labels or booklets, certificates, notices, declarations of candidacy, affida-
18 vits of all types, lists, applications, poll books, tally sheets, registers,
19 rosters, statements and abstracts if required by the election laws of this
20 state.
21 (2) The secretary of state shall prescribe the arrangement of the matter
22 to be printed on each kind of ballot and label, including:
23 (a) The placement and listing of all offices, candidates and issues upon
24 which voting is statewide, which shall be uniform throughout the state.
25 (b) The listing of all other candidates required to file with him, and
26 the order of listing all offices and issues upon which voting is not
27 statewide.
28 (3) The names of candidates for legislative or special district offices
29 shall be printed only on the ballots and ballot labels furnished to voters of
30 such district.
31 (4) The names of all candidates which appear on any election ballot shall
32 be rotated listed in the manner determined by the secretary of state pre-
33 scribed in section 34-903A, Idaho Code.
34 (5) No candidate's name may appear on a ballot for more than one (1)
35 office, except that a candidate for precinct committeeman may seek one (1)
36 additional office upon the same ballot. The provisions of this subsection
37 shall not apply to the election of electors of president and vice-president of
38 the United States.
39 SECTION 2. That Chapter 9, Title 34, Idaho Code, be, and the same is
40 hereby amended by the addition thereto of a NEW SECTION, to be known and des-
41 ignated as Section 34-903A, Idaho Code, and to read as follows:
2
1 34-903A. ORDER OF CANDIDATE NAMES ON BALLOT. (1) This section governs
2 the procedure for determining the order on the ballot of names of candidates
3 for nomination for or election to all offices at an election.
4 (2) Not later than the sixtieth day before the date of any election, the
5 secretary of state shall complete a random ordering of the letters of the
6 alphabet.
7 (3) Not later than the fifty-ninth day before the date of any election,
8 the secretary of state shall mail to each county clerk a copy of the random
9 ordering of the letters of the alphabet.
10 (4) The county clerk shall arrange by surname the names of the candidates
11 on the ballot or ballot label in the random order of the letters of the alpha-
12 bet completed by the secretary of state under subsection (2) of this section.
13 SECTION 3. That Section 34-2419, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
14 amended to read as follows:
15 34-2419. ROTATION LISTING OF NAMES OF CANDIDATES. In each primary and
16 general election when two (2) or more persons are candidates for nomination or
17 election to the same office, the county clerk or the clerk of a city, district
18 or other municipality in which voting machines or vote tally systems are used
19 shall rotate list the names of candidates as directed by the secretary of
20 state in the manner prescribed in section 34-903A, Idaho Code.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 10984
The purpose of this legislation is to remove the cumbersome and
costly requirement of rotating candidates' names on ballots.
The new section 34-903A, provides that the order of candidate's
names will be determined by the use of a random alphabet selected
by the Secretary of State. This selection would be made sixty
(60) days prior to any election.
This bill is supported by the Secretary of State's Voting Systems
Task Force in an effort to improve voter education. Without
rotation the sample ballot provided to the voters will be the
same ballot they will see on election day.
FISCAL IMPACT
The counties will experience a significant reduction in ballot
printing costs.
Contact
Name: Ben Ysursa, Chief Deputy, Secretary of State
Phone: 334-2852
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL IMPACT H 20