Honorable Todd Smith, Chair, House Committee on Elections
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3444 by Anchia (Relating to the registration of individuals who assist in certain early voting procedures; providing a criminal penalty.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would require people who assist more than five voters with preparing their election ballots to register as an early voting assistant and would make it a Class A misdemeanor if a person knowingly violates this.The bill would be effective January 1, 2010.
Local Government Impact
The bill would require an early voting clerk to maintain current registrations in a file that is available to the public for inspection. There could be some costs associated with storing registrations; however, those costs are not anticipated to be significant.
A person convicted of an offense related to an election would not be eligible to register as an early voting assistant. A person commits an offense if a person knowingly registers as an early voting clerk. An offense under this subsection is a Class A misdemeanor.
A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of not more than $4,000, confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year, or both. Costs associated with enforcement, prosecution, and confinement could be absorbed within existing resources. Revenue gain from fines imposed and collected is not anticipated to have significant fiscal implications to local governments.