Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB05-198

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE, VETERANS, & MILITARY AFFAIRS

Votes:
Action Taken:
Moved Amendment L.021. Rep. Madden explained the
Moved Amendment L.022 (Attachment J). The motion
Moved to refer SB 05-198, as amended, to the Commi		Pass Without Objection
FAIL
PASS



02:33 PM -- Senate Bill 05-198

Representative Madden, prime sponsor, introduced Senate Bill 05-198 regarding the conduct of elections. This measure offers a variety of changes to election rules, including;

• expanding the list of the types of documents that may be used to establish an elector's identification for purposes of the "Uniform Election Code of 1992";
• entitling each eligible elector to inspect, verify, and correct voter-verified permanent paper record of his or her votes at the time the vote is cast; and
• requiring the Secretary of State to initiate a surprise random audit.

She reviewed the provisions of the bill. Rep. Madden responded to committee questions.

The following people testified:

02:49 PM -- Scott Doyle, representing the County Clerk's Association, testified in opposition of the bill. He noted that the county clerk's are typically the workhorse of Colorado election and the technology to perform the tasks in this bill are still not identified or familiar to the county clerks. He responded to committee questions regarding the procedures used by the county clerks, and the meetings the clerks association has had with the sponsor, Rep. Madden, to resolve matters related to the bill.

03:06 PM -- Karon Hatchett, representing the Denver Election Commission, testified in opposition of the bill. She indicated that the Denver election commission will not receive reimbursing Denver for the requirements made in this bill. She stated that this will be an unfunded mandate to counties if they are to proceed with developing a paper-trail for elections. She indicated that this would be an expensive venture for the city to acquire the equipment necessary to comply with this mandate. Rep. Madden indicated that the City of Denver is neutral on this bill, and that it is the election commission who opposes the bill. Ms. Hatchett did not agree with the Rep. Madden's assessment.

03:21 PM -- Deena Larson, representing Coloradoans for Voting Integrity (CFVI), disabled, testified in support of the bill. She provided two handouts, Attachment B - Accessibility and Auditability in Electronic Voting, and Attachment C - a white paper with the same title as Attachment B.

03:27 PM -- Bob McGrath, representing CFVI, testified in support of the bill. He provided Attachment D, his written testimony to the committee on Senate Bill 05-198. Rep. Weissmann requested that the witness highlight his written testimony.
He responded to committee questions.

03:39 PM -- Linda Seaborn, CFVI, testified in support of the bill, with revisions. She provided a written copy of her testimony, Attachment E.

03:42 PM -- Dr. Charles Corry, Equal Justice Foundation, testified in support of the bill. He provided Attachment F, his curriculum vitae, and Attachment G, Electronic Voting Equipment Problems Tabulated by State and County. He stated that current voting machines are poorly designed and their software is not appropriate for the task. He responded to committee questions.

03:57 PM -- Jenny Flanagan, representing Common Cause, testified in support of the bill. She explained the many legislative and non-legislative participants who have met to negotiate and draft this legislation. She responded to committee questions.



04:03 PM -- Richard Andrews, representing himself, testified in support of the bill with amendments.

04:05 PM -- Jeff Cook, representing the Honest Elections Association, testified in support of the bill. He provided Attachment H, Working Towards a Fair American Voting System. He stated that his organization believes this is a fairly weak bill, but it is a beginning. He responded to committee questions.

04:14 PM -- "You", her legal name, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

04:15 PM -- Carolyn Bainski, representing the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, testified in support of the bill.

04:18 PM -- Kim Sayers, representing CFVI and Democracy for Colorado, testified in support of the bill. She explained that she understands the weaknesses of computers, and she has no faith in election results by computers. She also urged the committee to amend the bill to go into effect in January 2006 instead of 2008.

04:21 PM -- Jamie Krutz, representing himself, testified in support of the bill. He stated that he doesn't consider the current election machines to be trustworthy.

04:24 PM -- Deann Major, representing CFVI, testified in support of the bill.

04:24 PM -- Margret Johansson, representing CFVI, testified in support of the bill.


04:28 PM

Representative Madden explained Amendment L.021 (Attachment I).


BILL:SB05-198
TIME: 04:29:22 PM
MOVED:Coleman
MOTION:Moved Amendment L.021. Rep. Madden explained the amendment. The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Todd
VOTE
Cadman
Carroll T.
Coleman
Crane
Gallegos
Liston
Lundberg
Schultheis
Todd
Ragsdale
Weissmann
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:SB05-198
TIME: 04:30:24 PM
MOVED:Schultheis
MOTION:Moved Amendment L.022 (Attachment J). The motion lost on a 5 - 6 vote.
SECONDED:Crane
VOTE
Cadman
Yes
Carroll T.
No
Coleman
No
Crane
Yes
Gallegos
No
Liston
Yes
Lundberg
Yes
Schultheis
Yes
Todd
No
Ragsdale
No
Weissmann
No
Not Final YES: 5 NO: 6 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL


BILL:SB05-198
TIME: 04:37:31 PM
MOVED:Coleman
MOTION:Moved to refer SB 05-198, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed on a 10 - 1 vote.
SECONDED:Lundberg
VOTE
Cadman
Yes
Carroll T.
Yes
Coleman
Yes
Crane
Yes
Gallegos
Yes
Liston
No
Lundberg
Yes
Schultheis
Yes
Todd
Yes
Ragsdale
Yes
Weissmann
Yes
Final YES: 10 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS