Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB495%20SUB1%20ENR.htm&yr=2011&sesstype=RS&i=495
Timestamp: 2018-02-24 07:01:00
Document Index: 329399239

Matched Legal Cases: ['§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3']

SB 495 Text
Enrolled Version - Final Version Senate Bill 495 History
(Senators Palumbo and Plymale, original sponsors)
AN ACT to repeal §3-4A-13a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact §3-4A-2, §3-4A-3, §3-4A-4, §3-4A-6, §3-4A-9, §3-4A-9a, §3-4A-9b, §3-4A-10, §3-4A-10a, §3-4A-13, §3-4A-17, §3-4A-19, §3-4A-20 and §3-4A-27, all relating generally to the use of electronic voting systems; defining terms; setting forth the requirements of electronic voting systems; requiring public meetings held on adopting electronic voting be held at least six months prior to the next election; providing that if an electronic voting system is terminated, it must be replaced by an electronic voting system that complies with federal law; deleting the requirement that the purchase or lease of vote-recording devices must be paid in cash; deleting outmoded terms and voting systems no longer being used; updating technical terminology; requiring at least two vote-recording devices be provided at each precinct in a primary election; and providing that independent voters may vote in primaries as otherwise provided in code.
That §3-4A-13a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be repealed; and that §3-4A-2, §3-4A-3, §3-4A-4, §3-4A-6, §3-4A-9, §3-4A-9a, §3-4A-9b, §3-4A-10, §3-4A-10a, §3-4A-13, §3-4A-17, §3-4A-19, §3-4A-20 and §3-4A-27 of said code be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
(2) "Ballot" means an electronic image or paper on which votes may be recorded by means of perforating or marking with electronically sensible ink or pencil or a screen upon which votes may be recorded by means of a stylus or by means of touch;
(4) “Electronic poll book” means an electronic device containing the same voter registration information maintained by the county clerk in a printed poll book.
(6) "Standard validation test deck" means a group of ballots wherein all voting possibilities which can occur in an election are represented; and
(7) "Vote-recording device" means equipment in which ballots are placed to allow a voter to record his or her vote by electronically sensible ink, or pencil, or a screen upon which votes may be recorded by means of a stylus or by means of touch.
(9) It permits each voter at any election, other than a primary election, to vote a straight party ticket, as provided in section five, article six of this chapter, by one mark or punch;
(10) It permits a voter in a primary election to: (A) vote only for the candidates of the party for which the voter is legally permitted to vote; (B) vote for the candidates, if any, for nonpartisan nominations or election; and (C) vote on public questions; and precludes the voter from voting for any candidate seeking nomination by any other political party unless that political party has determined that the voter may participate in its primary election;
(11) It, where applicable, is provided with means for sealing or electronically securing the vote recording device to prevent its use and to prevent tampering with the device, both before the polls are open or before the operation of the vote recording device for an election is begun and immediately after the polls are closed or after the operation of the vote recording device for an election is completed;
(12) It has the capacity to contain the names of candidates constituting the tickets of at least nine political parties and accommodates the wording of at least fifteen questions;
(13) (A) Direct recording electronic voting machines must generate a paper copy of each voter’s vote that will be automatically kept within a storage container, that is locked, closely attached to the direct recording electronic voting machine, and inaccessible to all but authorized voting officials, who will handle such storage containers and such paper copies contained therein in accordance with section nineteen of this article.
(B) The paper copy of the voter’s vote shall be generated at the time the voter is at the voting station using the direct recording electronic voting machine.
(C) The voter may examine the paper copy visually or through headphone readout, and may accept or reject the printed copy.
(D) The voter may not touch, handle or manipulate the printed copy manually in any way.
(E) Once the printed copy of the voter’s votes is accepted by the voter as correctly reflecting the voter’s intent, but not before, it will automatically be stored for recounts or random checks and the electronic vote will be cast within the computer mechanism of the direct recording electronic voting machine.
(F) Direct recording electronic voting machines with a mandatory paper copy shall be approved by the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State may promulgate rules and emergency rules to implement or enforce this subsection pursuant to the provisions of section five, article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code.
(14) Where vote recording devices are used, they shall:
(C) Be constructed to ensure that a voter may easily learn the method of operating it and may expeditiously cast his or her vote for all candidates of his or her choice and upon any public question;
(D) Be accompanied by a mechanically or electronically operated instruction model which shows the arrangement of the ballot, party columns or rows, and questions;
(15) For electronic voting systems that utilize a screen upon which votes may be recorded by means of a stylus or by means of touch:
(E) Be constructed to allow election commissioners, poll clerks, or both, to designate, mark or otherwise record provisional ballots;
(a) For purposes of this section, “precinct ballot-scanning device” means a device used by the voter at the precinct on election day or during early voting for the purpose of scanning the voter's ballot after the ballot has been voted but prior to depositing the ballot into the ballot box.
(3) The “tabulation memory device” may be removed from the ballot-scanning device only after the polls close and the votes may only be counted at the central counting center on the night of the election; and
(a) All proceedings at the central counting center are to be under the supervision of the clerk of the county commission and are to be conducted under circumstances which allow observation from a designated area by all persons entitled to be present. The proceedings shall take place in a room of sufficient size and satisfactory arrangement to permit observation. Those persons entitled to be present include all candidates whose names appear on the ballots being counted or if a candidate is absent, a representative of the candidate who presents a written authorization signed by the candidate for the purpose and two representatives of each political party on the ballot who are chosen by the county executive committee chairperson. A reasonable number of the general public is also freely admitted to the room. In the event all members of the general public desiring admission to the room cannot be admitted at one time, the county commission shall provide for a periodic and convenient rotation of admission to the room for observation, to the end that each member of the general public desiring admission, during the proceedings at the central counting center, is to be granted admission for reasonable periods of time for observation: Provided, That no person except those authorized for the purpose may touch any ballot or ballot card or other official records and papers utilized in the election during observation.
(1) In systems using ballots marked with electronically sensible ink, ballots are to be removed from the boxes and stacked for the tabulator which separates ballots containing marks for a write-in position. Immediately after tabulation, the valid write-in votes are to be tallied. No write-in vote may be counted for an office unless the voter has entered the name of an official write-in candidate for that office on the line provided, either by writing, affixing a sticker or placing an ink-stamped impression thereon;
(2) In systems using ballots in which votes are recorded upon screens with a stylus or by means of touch, the personalized electronic ballots are to be removed from the containers and stacked for the tabulator. Systems using ballots in which votes are recorded upon screens with a stylus or by means of touch are to tally write-in ballots simultaneously with the other ballots;
(3) When more than one person is to be elected to an office and the voter desires to cast write-in votes for more than one official write-in candidate for that office, a single punch or mark, as appropriate for the voting system, in the write-in location for that office is sufficient for all write-in choices. When there are multiple write-in votes for the same office and the combination of choices for candidates on the ballot and write-in choices for the same office exceed the number of candidates to be elected, the ballot is to be duplicated or hand counted, with all votes for that office rejected;
(4) Write-in votes for nomination for any office and write-in votes for any person other than an official write-in candidate are to be disregarded;
(5) When a voter casts a straight ticket vote and also marks the location for a write-in vote for an office, the straight ticket vote for that office is to be rejected, whether or not a vote can be counted for a write-in candidate; and
(6) Official write-in candidates are those who have filed a write-in candidate's certificate of announcement and have been certified according to the provisions of section four-a, article six of this chapter.
(d) If any ballot card is damaged or defective so that it cannot properly be counted by the automatic tabulating equipment, a true duplicate copy is to be made of the damaged ballot card in the presence of representatives of each political party on the ballot and substituted for the damaged ballot card. All duplicate ballot cards are to be clearly labeled "duplicate" and are to bear a serial number which is recorded on the damaged or defective ballot card and on the replacement ballot card.
(e) The returns printed by the automatic tabulating equipment at the central counting center, to which have been added write-in and other valid votes, are, when certified by the clerk of the county commission, to constitute the official preliminary returns of each precinct or election district. Further, all the returns are to be printed on a precinct basis. Periodically throughout and upon completion of the count, the returns are to be open to the public by posting the returns as have been tabulated precinct by precinct at the central counting center. Upon completion of the canvass, the returns are to be posted in the same manner.
(g) As soon as possible after the completion of the count, the clerk of the county commission shall have the vote recording devices properly boxed or securely covered and removed to a proper and secure place of storage.