Agenda - 09-17-2013 - 4b - Laserfiche WebLink

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K primary shall be held on the Tuesday after the SC presidential preference primary. All other NC primaries will be held in May. • G.S. 163 -227.2 was rewritten. Early voting sites within a county: Early voting shall begin no earlier than the second Thursday before an election and shall end no later than 1:00 p.m. on the last Saturday before an election. Any plan adopted shall provide for the same days of operation and same number of hours of operation on each day for all sites in the county for that election. Prior to this bill, early voting began on the third Thursday before an election and had the option to extend hours the last Saturday until 5:00 p.m. The local Board had the option of setting different days and hours for the approved sites. • G.S. 163 -227.2 is amended by adding a new subsection. Hours for early voting: For any county who provided for one or more sites during 2010 or 2012 elections, they shall calculate the cumulative total number of scheduled voting hours at all sites and ensure that at least the same number of hours offered in 2010 Primary and General is offered for the 2014 Primary and General and the same number of hours offered in 2012 Primary and General is offered for the 2016 Primary and General Elections respectively. There is also an added amendment whereas a county board by unanimous vote of the board may submit a request to the SBOE to reduce the number of hours. The reduction shall take effect only if approved by unanimous vote of the SBOE with all members present and voting. • G.S. 163- 229(b) was rewritten. Absentee voting: Requires two persons to witness the casting of the absentee ballot, those person's names, addresses and signature and also added space for the name and address of any person who assisted the voter. The requirement for two witnesses shall be satisfied if witnessed by one notary public with a valid seal and signature. The law states that a notary may not charge any fee. Prior to this bill, only one witness was required. This law does not apply to military or overseas voters whose requirements are one witness. • G.S. 163 -230.1 was rewritten. Method of requesting ballots. An absentee ballot request is valid only if it is on a form created by the State Board of Elections. The voter or near relative must provide either a driver's license /special identification number or the last four digits of the social security number. The form will be available on the SBOE website, Orange County Board of Elections (BOE) website, in the BOE office and will be mailed to voter upon request. Prior to this bill, the request had to be written entirely by the requester personally or on a form generated by the county board of elections that could not be reproduced. • G.S. 163 - 278.13 was rewritten. Limitation on contributions. No candidate or political committee can accept and /or contribute in excess of $5,000 for an election except for a candidate or a candidate's spouse who can give unlimited amounts. Prior to this bill, the limit was $4,000 and the persons who could give unlimited amounts included the candidate's parents, brothers and sisters. It also provides a means to increase the limitations effective every odd - numbered year by a formula set out in the amendment • G.S. 163 -287 was rewritten. Special Election Dates: Special elections may be held only at the time as any other State, county or municipal election. Exceptions are any special election related to public health or safety, including a vacancy in the office of sheriff or a bond referendum for financing of health and sanitation systems. This also does not apply to local acts. • Part 28 — Section 28.1 — Reduce need for second primary: The Joint Legislative Elections Oversight Committee shall study the second primary and recommend to the General Assembly any legislation it deems advisable. Final report shall be made before the convening of the 2015 regular session of the General Assembly.