CHAPTER 134
HB 285 – FINAL VERSION
02Jan2008… 2632h
04/24/08 1387s
2008 SESSION
03/05
HOUSE BILL 285
AN ACT relative to voting machines.
This bill requires the secretary of state to establish an electronic ballot counting device advisory committee. The committee shall facilitate the design of an electronic ballot counting device for use at future elections in New Hampshire. The committee shall also research the upgrades that are available for voting machines currently used in New Hampshire and recommend which upgrades should be required for the continued use of the machines by cities and towns.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
02Jan2008… 2632h
04/24/08 1387s
07-0544
03/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eight
AN ACT relative to voting machines.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
134:1 Electronic Ballot Counting Device Advisory Committee.
I. The secretary of state shall appoint an electronic ballot counting device advisory committee consisting of 10 members, one of whom shall be designated as chairman, selected for his or her knowledge of voting and election process requirements. The members of the committee shall be:
(a) Two employees of the department of state.
(b) Three members of the general court.
(c) Three local election officials.
(d) Two members of the public.
II. The committee may solicit assistance from any source to assure that its recommendations comply with applicable technical, environmental, and legal standards. The committee shall meet at the call of the chairman. The first meeting of the committee shall be held within 60 days of the effective date of this section. Members shall receive mileage at the state employees rate when attending to the duties of the committee.
III. The primary duty of the committee shall be to facilitate the design of an electronic ballot counting device, or the identification of an electronic ballot counting device, for use at future elections in the state of New Hampshire that will be fail safe and provably correct and can be supported by an independent technical review to eliminate potential manipulation of election results by tampering. The committee shall also research the upgrades that are available for voting machines currently used in New Hampshire and recommend which upgrades should be required for the continued use of the machines by cities and towns.
IV. In fulfilling its duties under paragraph III, the committee shall consider:
(a) Developing or identifying an electronic ballot counting device for use at future elections in New Hampshire that can be supported by an independent technical review to eliminate potential manipulation of election results through tampering.
(b) Security, storage, programming, testing, usage, verification of vendor services, and retention of data from electronic ballot counting devices.
(c) The feasibility of having the department of state program memory cards.
(d) Issues related to public confidence in the integrity of electronic ballot counting devices.
(e) Methods for state testing of programmed memory cards before and after elections.
(f) Upgrades to existing voting machines and new products that could improve New Hampshire elections.
(g) Other issues related to the development of new electronic ballot counting devices or the use of optical scan ballot counting machines, as requested by the secretary of state.
V. The committee shall deliver a final report with its findings and recommendations to the secretary of state on or before November 1, 2009.
134:2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
Approved: June 4, 2008
Effective Date: June 4, 2008