HB 1205 – AS INTRODUCED
2010 SESSION
03/09
HOUSE BILL 1205
AN ACT relative to the membership of the ballot law commission.
This bill changes the appointment process for the ballot law commission.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
10-2388
03/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Ten
AN ACT relative to the membership of the ballot law commission.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Ballot Law Commission. Amend RSA 665:1 to read as follows:
665:1 Organization.
I. There shall be a ballot law commission consisting of 5 members. [Two members] One member shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives[, one from each of the 2 major political parties in the state based on votes cast for governor in the most recent state general election] and one member shall be appointed by the house minority leader. [Two members] One member shall be appointed by the president of the senate[, one from each of the 2 major political parties in the state based on votes cast for governor in the most recent state general election] and one member shall be appointed by the senate minority leader. One member shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the council, and shall be a person particularly qualified by experience in election procedure. No person shall be appointed to the commission who holds an elected office or who is an election official. The terms of all commissioners shall be for 4 years, except that the first appointments shall be as follows: the members appointed by the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives shall be appointed for terms of 2 years, the members appointed by the president and minority leader of the senate shall be appointed for terms of 3 years, and the member appointed by the governor shall be appointed for a term of 4 years. A member may be re-appointed upon the expiration of his or her term. The members shall elect annually a chairperson from among the members. Members shall be appointed and terms of office shall expire on [July] January 1. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner for the unexpired term. The secretary of state shall be recording officer and clerk of the commission, but shall have no vote in its decisions.
II. There shall be 5 alternate members for the ballot law commission. [Two] One alternate [members] member shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives[, one from each of the 2 major political parties in the state based on votes cast for governor in the most recent state general election] and one alternate member shall be appointed by the house minority leader. [Two] One alternate [members] member shall be appointed by the president of the senate[, one from each of the 2 major political parties in the state based on votes cast for governor in the most recent state general election] and one alternate member shall be appointed by the senate minority leader. One alternate member shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the council, and shall be a person particularly qualified by experience in election procedure. The alternate members appointed by the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives and the president and minority leader of the senate shall not be members of the general court. The terms of all alternate members shall be for 4 years, except that the first appointments shall be as follows: the alternate members appointed by the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives shall be appointed for terms of 2 years, the alternate members appointed by the president and minority leader of the senate shall be appointed for terms of 3 years, and the alternate member appointed by the governor shall be appointed for a term of 4 years. The term of each new alternate member shall begin on [July] January 1.
2 Applicability. The terms of all current members of the ballot law commission shall expire upon the effective date of this act.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2012.