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2019 SESSION

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HB 1620 Elections, State Board of; membership, appointment of Commissioner of Elections.

Introduced by: Margaret B. Ransone | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS PASSED:

State Board of Elections; membership; appointment of Commissioner of Elections. Increases the membership of the State Board of Elections from three members to five members and increases the terms of Board members from four years to five years. Representation shall be given to each of the political parties having the highest and next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth at the preceding gubernatorial election, with three Board members being of the party of the Governor. Terms are initially staggered. The bill also grants to the Board the authority to appoint the Commissioner of Elections, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, and to remove the Commissioner of Elections. The appointment or removal of the Commissioner shall require an affirmative vote of four of the five Board members. The bill has a delayed effective date of January 1, 2020. This bill is identical to SB 1455.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

State Board of Elections; membership; appointment of Commissioner of Elections. Increases the membership of the State Board of Elections (Board) from three members to six members and increases the terms of Board members from four years to six years. Equal representation shall be given to each of the political parties having the highest and next highest number of votes in the Commonwealth at the last preceding gubernatorial election. Appointments shall be made with due consideration of geographical representation, and no two Board members may reside in the same congressional district. Terms are initially staggered. The bill also grants to the Board the authority to appoint, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, the Commissioner of Elections to head the Department of Elections and to act as the principal administrative officer. Additionally, the Board has the authority to remove the Commissioner. The appointment or removal of the Commissioner shall require an affirmative vote of five of the six Board members. The bill also directs the Department of Elections to employ a Director of Operations, who is to be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations at the Department. The bill requires the Board to submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly.