Senate Bill sb2270
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2005 SB 2270
By Senators Posey and Webster
24-1351B-05
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to elections; amending s.
3 101.5614, F.S., relating to the canvas of
4 returns; providing for automatic tabulation of
5 early voted ballots; including early voted
6 ballots within the official return of the
7 election; requiring that the return record
8 precinct results; amending ss. 101.64 and
9 101.657, F.S., relating to absentee ballots and
10 early voting; requiring that the supervisor of
11 elections indicate on each ballot, secrecy
12 envelope, mailing envelope, or early voted
13 ballot the precinct of the voter; amending s.
14 101.68, F.S.; requiring that the absentee
15 ballots be combined with the tabulated votes of
16 each precinct and included in the total vote of
17 the county; providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Subsections (7) and (8) of section
22 101.5614, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
23 101.5614 Canvass of returns.--
24 (7) Absentee ballots and early voted ballots may be
25 counted by automatic tabulating equipment if they have been
26 marked in a manner that which will enable them to be properly
27 counted by such equipment and aggregated with the results for
28 each precinct.
29 (8) The return printed by the automatic tabulating
30 equipment, to which has been added the return of write-in,
31 absentee, early voted, and manually counted votes and votes
1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2005 SB 2270
24-1351B-05
1 from provisional ballots, shall constitute the official return
2 of the election upon certification by the canvassing board. In
3 addition to recording total results of the county, the return
4 shall record results for each precinct. Precinct results need
5 not distinguish among methods of voting but must record for
6 each precinct the return tabulated at the precinct location to
7 which has been added the return for that precinct of write-in,
8 absentee, early voted, and manually counted votes and votes
9 from provisional ballots. Upon completion of the count, the
10 returns shall be open to the public. A copy of the returns may
11 be posted at the central counting place or at the office of
12 the supervisor of elections in lieu of the posting of returns
13 at individual precincts.
14 Section 2. Subsection (3) is added to section 101.64,
15 Florida Statutes, to read:
16 101.64 Delivery of absentee ballots; envelopes;
17 form.--
18 (3) The supervisor shall mark, code, track, or
19 otherwise indicate on each ballot, secrecy envelope, or
20 mailing envelope the precinct of the absent elector.
21 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
22 101.657, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
23 101.657 Early voting.--
24 (1)(a) The supervisor of elections shall allow an
25 elector to vote early in the main or branch office of the
26 supervisor by depositing the voted ballot in a voting device
27 used by the supervisor to collect or tabulate ballots. The
28 supervisor shall mark, code, track, or otherwise indicate on
29 each early voted ballot the precinct to which the ballot
30 corresponds. In order for a branch office to be used for early
31 voting, it shall be a full-service facility of the supervisor
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2005 SB 2270
24-1351B-05
1 and shall have been designated as such at least 1 year prior
2 to the election. The supervisor may designate any city hall or
3 public library as early voting sites; however, if so
4 designated, the sites must be geographically located so as to
5 provide all voters in the county an equal opportunity to cast
6 a ballot, insofar as is practicable. The results or tabulation
7 may not be made before the close of the polls on election day.
8 Section 4. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
9 101.68, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
10 101.68 Canvassing of absentee ballot.--
11 (2)
12 (d) The canvassing board shall record the ballot upon
13 the proper record, unless the ballot has been previously
14 recorded by the supervisor. The mailing envelopes shall be
15 opened and the secrecy envelopes shall be mixed so as to make
16 it impossible to determine which secrecy envelope came out of
17 which signed mailing envelope; however, in any county in which
18 an electronic or electromechanical voting system is used, the
19 ballots may be sorted by ballot styles and the mailing
20 envelopes may be opened and the secrecy envelopes mixed
21 separately for each ballot style. The votes on absentee
22 ballots shall be combined with the tabulated votes for each
23 precinct and included in the total vote of the county.
24 Section 5. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
25 law.
26
27
28
29
30
31
3
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2005 SB 2270
24-1351B-05
1 *****************************************
2 SENATE SUMMARY
3 Clarifies requirements governing early voted ballots to
provide for automatic tabulation and include early voted
4 ballots within the official return of the election.
Requires that the results for each precinct be recorded
5 in the return. Requires that the supervisor of elections
indicate on each ballot, secrecy envelope, mailing
6 envelope, or early voted ballot the precinct of the
voter. (See bill for details.)
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
4
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.