Senate Bill 1654
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 SB 1654
By the Committee on Ethics and Elections; and Senators
Saunders, Kirkpatrick, Rossin and Sebesta
313-849A-00
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act creating the Voting System Technology
3 Task Force; providing for membership, officers,
4 organization, per diem, and staffing; providing
5 duties; providing for a report and termination
6 of the task force upon submission of the
7 report; providing an appropriation; providing
8 an effective date.
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10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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12 Section 1. (1) There is created the Voting System
13 Technology Task Force, which shall be assigned to the
14 Department of State for the purpose of studying the issues and
15 costs of developing and implementing an Internet or on-line
16 voting system for widespread use in the state. The task force
17 is to be composed of 20 members as follows:
18 (a) The Secretary of State, or his or her designee,
19 who shall serve as chair of the task force;
20 (b) The President of the Senate shall appoint one
21 member of the Senate;
22 (c) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
23 appoint one member of the House of Representatives;
24 (d) The minority leader of the Senate shall appoint
25 one member of the Senate;
26 (e) The minority leader of the House of
27 Representatives shall appoint one member of the House of
28 Representatives;
29 (f) The Governor shall appoint one member;
30 (g) The Secretary of State shall appoint four
31 supervisors of elections, two from urban counties and two from
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Florida Senate - 2000 SB 1654
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1 rural counties; four public or private technical experts; four
2 interested citizens who are of diverse age, race, gender,
3 economic, and other relevant demographic characteristics; and,
4 two other individuals whose background the Secretary considers
5 relevant or who have expertise in computers, the Internet, or
6 associated technologies.
7 (2) Members of the task force shall serve without
8 compensation, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for per
9 diem and travel expenses pursuant to section 112.061, Florida
10 Statutes, while engaged in their official duties.
11 (3) The task force is to consider both an Internet or
12 on-line voting system that would allow voters to cast secure
13 electronic ballots from sites not under the control of
14 elections officials and a voting system that would allow
15 voters to cast secure electronic ballots from sites under the
16 control of elections officials. Issues that must be addressed
17 in the study include:
18 (a) Security and voter fraud;
19 (b) Public accessibility to the voting system,
20 including demographic factors limiting access;
21 (c) Voter acceptance and support for the voting
22 system;
23 (d) Cost estimates for developing and implementing
24 pilot projects; and
25 (e) Estimated costs and savings to be realized in
26 continuing development, full implementation, maintenance, and
27 operation of a widespread Internet or on-line voting system
28 over time.
29 (4) The Secretary of State shall submit to the
30 Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
31 House of Representatives, by July 1, 2001, a report containing
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Florida Senate - 2000 SB 1654
313-849A-00
1 the task force's recommendation concerning whether the state
2 should pursue the development and implementation of a
3 widespread Internet or on-line voting system and containing
4 all relevant findings of the task force. If the task force
5 recommends Internet or on-line voting favorably, the report
6 must include recommended steps for developing and implementing
7 such a system. Upon submission of the report, the task force
8 shall expire.
9 (5) The Division of Elections of the Department of
10 State shall provide support staff for the task force. The
11 State Technology Office of the Department of Management
12 Services and the State University System shall assist the task
13 force, upon request.
14 (6) Effective July 1, 2000, the sum of $200,000 is
15 appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department
16 of State, and two positions are created in the department, for
17 the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act.
18 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
19 law.
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22 SENATE SUMMARY
23 Creates the Voting System Technology Task Force to make
recommendations concerning the feasibility of
24 establishing an Internet or on-line voting system.
Appropriates $200,000 for the study.
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